A Tamer in Odaiba
by GRX3m0m
Summary: Takato's life changed for the best on the past few years. But sometimes, things go completely wrong. That doesn't mean you should give in to sadness. You can always think positive and overcome the obstacles. Season 2x3 crossover. No death, no drama.
1. So far so good?

Hello everyone! This is an idea I had and I'm just LOVING it :). It's a Season 2x3 crossover. About disclaimers, if I owned Digimon, then I wouldn't be writing here, would I? Disclaimers are so stupid...

_Description:_ _Takato's life changed for the best on the past few years. But sometimes, things go completely wrong (no death). That doesn't mean you should give in to sadness. You can always think possitive and overcome the obstacles. Season 2x3 crossover.  
_

One more thing. There will be no digidestined on this chapter. Sorry!

**A TAMER IN ODAIBA  
**

**CHAPTER 1: SO FAR SO GOOD?  
**

Hello! My name is Takato Matsuki and I am 15 years old. Most people would say that I am not far from called "A normal teenager" . I am not the best at school, just like almost everyone my age, I like basketball and I am pretty good at sketching. I live in Shinjuku with my parents on an apartment above the bakery that they own. I love hanging around with my best buddies, Kazu, Kenta and Jeri, as well as with my friends Henry and Rika. Just like any other kid out there, right? Sorry, but I'll have to disagree. You see, I have a little secret. I am a Digimon Tamer!

Most of you might wonder what exactly does that mean. Well, basically, it's someone that has a digimon partner. Digimon are creatures made of data, that my friends and I help digivolve, which means reach the next level, and get stronger. About three years ago, I created a digimon called Guilmon that became my partner. At first, I just sketched him, but I got a strange device that brought him to life! That's when my adventure begun.

You see, I wasn't the only tamer. Henry and Rika also had digimon partners and while Henry was nice and we became friends immediately, Rika was different. She cold and wouldn't open up. She also thought we were hotheaded because we befriending our digimon and didn't make them battle each other to become strong. She believed that digimon were just data and nothing more. After a while thought, she understood she was wrong, and she started becoming attached to us. That's when the Deva attacked.

They were a powerful bunch of digimon that were under orders to kidnap one of our friends, Calumon. Most of them failed, but eventually, one of them captured Calumon and fled to the Digital World, the place where digimon come from. We decided to go after them and rescue Calumon, but it wasn't just the three of us. Kazu, Kenta and Jeri, the later acquired a partner as well, followed us. The Digital World proved to be more dangerous than we thought. In the end, we managed to get Calumon and form an alliance with the Deva's boss, Zhuqiaomon and the rest of the Sovereigns, the four Holy Beasts. And so, we returned to our world, thinking all of this was over. But it wasn't...

D-Reaper, a program that was created in order to purge the Digital World when it's population surpassed a certain number. The Sovereigns fought it in the Digital World, but it somehow managed to find its way into our world. It created massive destruction in central Shinjuku, but we managed to keep it from spreading long enough for the Monster Makers to find a way to defeat it. Oh, forgive me, I forgot to explain about the Monster Makers. They are a bunch of geniuses who created the digimon. They managed to return the D-Reaper back into a simple program and delete it afterwards. And after that was over, we were forced to say goodbye to our parents, because they had to return to their world.

Life wasn't the same without them. We carried on with our lives, but we couldn't forget about them. Six months later, I discovered a small portal on Guildmon's hiding place, but the Monster Makers found out about it and buried it. And so, it felt like I lost my partner all over again. In desperation, Henry found a way for us to send voice messages to the digital world, where our partners could find the packages. Who could ever imagine that they would help them return here!

Well... That happened long ago, so... Let's talk about something more recent. My parents used to have only one bakery, but business went so good, that they decided to create a chain of "The Matsuki Bakeries" in nearby cities. They founded three more bakeries all around Tokyo, and now they have almost finished the fifth in Odaiba. My dad has also bought a truck and he is making deliveries on other bakeries. Talk about success!

000

The day had already started, and Takato Matsuki was already on his way to meet his friends. He wore his usual white sneakers, brown trousers, black shirt, the white and red t-shirt with the zip and his black wristband. He had grown taller, like everyone. The brunette short hair he used to have, changed dramatically during the last three years. They were now blonder and longer than they used to be, making him well known among the girls on his school. But he didn't really care about girls at the moment. He had broke up from a year's relationship and he decided to give it a rest for the time being.

"Hey Takato!" He heard a voice and turned around. Kazu was walking towards him smiling. He hadn't changed much though. His hair were the same, with the only difference that he had removed the hat he had been wearing, so some of them fall a bit above his eyes. Also, he had grown taller and more muscular, since he had been working out. He wore brown boots, black shorts and a blue sleeveless t-shirt. He also had a brown belt around his waist, which hold his card deck, his D-Ark and his cell phone. He had also dropped the "Silly boy full of joy" act and was now a really cool guy.

"Hey Kazu. Why isn't Kenta with you?" Takato asked him. The other boy frowned.

"Haven't you heard? He left yesterday for America. There is a festival there about video games and he decided to go." Kazu said as he reached him and they both walked towards the playgrounds of the park.

"Sounds like Kenta." Takato said. They kept walking in silence. It felt really awkward. Takato knew that Kazu wanted to know the reason he and Jeri broke up, but Kazu didn't want to remind him of it. Takato on the other hand, didn't have the mood to talk about anything, so it was pretty much a silent walk till They reached the playgrounds. Henry was already there, leaning on the pink dino clock.

He had also changed. His hair had gained a lighter blue color and they weren't as messy as before. Of course he grew taller, but so much, that he was even taller than Kazu. His Tai Chi training made a good work on him, as his body stance was always straight. He was wearing white sneakers, blue jeans, a red sleeveless shirt with a black collar and a black zip, with a black blouse below it.

"Henry, what's up?" Kazu asked as they approached him. He looked at them and smiled. "Guess Rika isn't here." He said as he failed to spot the girl anywhere.

"Hey guys. No Kazu, Rika is going to be late. I met her on the way here. She said something came up and she had to go. So we're waiting for Kenta and we're off." He said.

"Nop, Kenta has gone to America for a video game's festival, so when Rika gets here, we are off." Takato said.

"Oh, if Kenta isn't coming let's go. Rika said she'd catch up with us." He said and he started walking. The three boys left the park and made their way towards the railway, to get on a train for Odaiba. That was the day "The Matsuki Bakery" there was opening. They bought their tickets and boarded the first train. It was a great day. It was warm and the sky was cloudy, so it was the perfect day for a stroll.

"This is the fifth bakery Takato, and in a big city like Odaiba. Today is going to be a great day." Henry said and Takato nodded.

000

"Come on, we are going to be late!" An angry wife told her husband who had left some things to take care of at the last moment. "You are so slow sometimes!"

"I'm coming, I just want to make sure everything is taken care of before we leave." He yelled from another room.

"Yeah, but Takato is already there and soon people are going to start appearing. Hurry!" She yelled and her husband appeared on the door beside her.

"Ok, I think we are ready." He said. "Let's see...checked...checked...checked..." He said as he mentally checked everything he had to do.

"Oh come on! You haven't forgotten anything, let's just go!" She yelled and literally pushed him outside.

000

"Ok, now turn right." Takato said on the phone. "Do you see the high school?" He asked. "No? Oh damn, what went wrong?" He murmured to himself. "Ok, go back... Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. Listen what, go back to the station and I'll come and get you... Ok? On my way." He disconnected the call and placed his phone back into his pocket.

"Either you suck on giving directions, or Rika sucks on following them." Kazu said. "So, you're going to pick her up?" He asked.

"Yeah. If my parents come, tell them I'll be right back." Takato said and run towards Odaiba's station. When he got there, he spotted Rika in her usual outfit. Blue sneakers, light blue trousers and a white blouse beneath a light blue sleeveless jacket. She also wore her red wristband that always puzzled him. Why would she wear a red one, when a blue one suits her clothes perfect.

He called her and she turned around to look at him. Rika was one that had changed the most. Not so much in appearance, but in character. The cold, tough girl she used to be was suppressed by her good heart and she barely snapped or fought with anyone. This was a huge improvement. Her hair had changed to a light brown color, but she still tied them in a ponytail. She had grown tall as much as Takato did and they had the same height. She smiled at him, something she would never had done three years ago if she was lost three times under his guidance.

"Hey Rika, I am really sorry, I should have come here from the beginning." He apologized.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Let's just go to the others." She said and they started walking. The same silence that engulfed Takato and Kazu that morning, was now forced into the two of them. Rika hesitated for a moment, before she finally spoke. "Takato, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."

"Hm? What is it?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best out of him.

"Would you mind...Do you think you can..." She signed. "Why did you break up with Jeri?" She asked. Takato blinked but the lowered his gaze.

"I am sorry Rika. It's just really hard to talk about it. The only thing I can tell you is that we both agreed on breaking up." He said.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you or anything." She said and she removed her gaze from him.

They didn't speak again till they reached the bakery. It was the biggest bakery they had opened so far in Takato's opinion. It didn't have two floors like his house/bakery in Shinjuku, but the ground floor was twice as big as both floors of the other. His parents had already found employees and they were waiting for the last of them to show up before they opened it. They made their way inside and found Kazu and Henry talking to his parents.

"There he is." Said Henry as he spotted us. "Hi Rika, done with whatever you had to do?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Ok Takato, we've been waiting for you. Everyone's already here. Ready to open our new bakery?" His father asked him.

"Let's do this!" He cheered.

000

The firefighters were fighting with the burning beast that had engulfed the building. Hopefully, everything showed that there was no one inside. About an hour ago, the building started burning up, and a firefighting squad had taken action. Right now, they knew that the building was destroyed, so their main priority was to keep it from spreading. It took them about two hours to finally put it out and another 30 minutes to detect the cause of it. The bakery's oven was forgotten on and since there was nothing inside, it exploded. The building was completely destroyed, but the burnt sign could easily be read:" Matsuki Bakery"

**End of chapter**

So what do you think? When I started writing this story, I was sure it was going to be just Season 2x3 (Although it would mostly be Takato from Season 3. But I read the manga version of "Digimon Tamers" and I came across some Rukato, so I'm adding Rika as well! To all those of you who haven't read any Rukato I say this: Give it a chance, it can be really great.

**Also if you want to see how Rka and Takato look on those outfits, check my avatar. It's a Rukato avatar, and their outfits are awesome!**


	2. A turn for the worse Or maybe not

Hello again everyone. Here we go, chapter 2 is ready. Also, forgot to mention something. This is going to be Adventure/General and a bit Romance. I haven't tried romance before, which means no Rukato as well, but I want to try so please be gentle.

PoV = Point of View

**CHAPTER 2: A TURN FOR THE WORSE... OR MAYBE NOT  
**

Takato's PoV

'Great, just great, nice going dad!' That's all I could think of as I tried to get comfortable. Kazu and his family offered to host me since I didn't have a house, let alone a bed any more to sleep into. It was late at night and I was laid on a bed in Kazu's room unable to sleep. Kazu had tried to make me feel better, but he failed miserably. So now, he was sleeping on his bed snoring, make it even more difficult for me to sleep.

How could my father burn the house? I know he didn't mean to, who would actually burn THEIR home willingly? I signed as I looked outside the window at the night sky. Luckily Guilmon was away with the rest of the digimon, because if he wasn't... I just can't bear to think about it. So now, I had to face a really difficult question. What were we going to do? Sure, we had other bakeries to provide us money to live till we rebuild our house, but where would we live till it was finished?

Unable to take any of this, I got up and walked outside, in Kazu's yard. I sat down and stared at the night sky again. So beautiful... Jeri and I used to watch the night sky every time we could. I signed again. I really needed her right now. I needed someone to hug me and tell me everything would be ok. But there was no one. Who would be awake at a late time like this? well, maybe my parents, but they were in Yamaki and Riley's place, so they wouldn't come here. I was on my own, when I needed someone the most. I got up and started walking back inside when I heard someone call my name. I turned and was stunned to see Rika.

"Hey Takato, how are you?" She asked me as a small smile formed on her face. I walked towards her and sat down. She sat beside me.

"How do you think I am Rika? While things were great some time ago, now everything sucks." I said bitterly. "I broke up with Jeri, I lost my home, it's just too much to bare." I said.

"Takato..." She said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her. "I'll be here for you. Everyone will, you know that right? I know it's going to be hard for you, but it's not something that cannot be reversed. Trust me losing something you can't replace is unbearable. I know from experience." It took a moment before I realized what she meant. And when I did, I saw everything differently. I smiled.

"Thanks Rika. I really needed that." I said. It was Rika's time to smile.

"You know, if the same thing happened some years ago, when we were starting to become friends, I wouldn't have acted like that. I would have smacked you in the head saying you were a fool to be down for something like that." She said.

"That sounds like past Rika. Say, what made you change? Back then I never thought you could become so... nice." Luckily I managed to keep the word that almost slipped my mouth. I know that 'sweet' isn't really a word I'd use to describe Rika. Jeri is sweet. I'd say nice fits her better. So I did good to hold the word for myself.

"You really don't know, do you?" She asked. I tilted my head. "It was you." She said and I looked away, trying to hide my blush. Ok, it's not like I have a crush on Rika, but if a girl told you that she changed because of you, wouldn't you blush? Except if you are a girl of course.

"What exactly do you mean." I managed to say thankful that Rika hadn't noticed my chicks.

"Before I met you guys, I didn't have any friends. Renamon was the closest thing to a friend and you remember how I felt about her. When I met you, I was always cold, but you didn't care. You showed me what true friendship is all about and what it can do."

"So basically, you were... nice all along, but you were buried underneath the cold ice thinking it was protecting you." I said making her laugh.

"Yeah, you can say that." She said. "I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for you guys. Thanks."

"I should be the one thanking you. I was desperate for someone to comfort me and you did. So... thanks Rika." I said.

"No problem gogglehead." She said and smiled. "You know, sometimes when I feel down, it helps to sing." She said and I raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you actually sing?" I asked.

"Yeah. It clears my head. I sing a certain song I used to sing to my father when I was little." She said. "...Wanna hear it?" She asked me and I nodded. "Ok, but listen up. If you tell anyone about this, you're dead!" She threatened.

"Ok. You know I value my life, so you got my word." I said. She got up and looking at the sky she started. I blinked when she did. She sang so beautifully...

**Every morning every night  
You watch over me like the sun in the sky  
Every morning and every night  
Will you promise you'll be my guardian light?**

**Promise that we'll stay for the sunset  
And when the moon shines through the darkness  
We can find the path that leads us home  
And on the way you'll maybe sing me a song**

**Promise that you always will be there  
Hold my hand if ever I'm real scared  
Help me stand up tall if I fall down  
Make me laugh away all my bluest days**

**How could you promise you always would be there?  
Why'd you have to go away somewhere?  
Every morning into every night  
Do you watch over me like the sun in the sky?**

**Am I all alone or standing in your light?  
I wish that I could maybe sing you a song tonight**

**You promised me we'd stay for the sunset…**

"Rika..." I struggled to find the best words to describe her singing. "This was beautiful. Just beautiful." I said.

"Thanks. Every time I sing this song, I feel better. It is one the happiest memories I have of my father. Three years ago, I wouldn't sing it at all." She said.

"I'll have that in mind Rika. Even though I am not a good singer, I'll try." I said. She got up and started walking outside.

"You can always give me a call. If I can, I'll sing it for you." She said, but I couldn't see her face since she had her back on me. "Cya tomorrow gogglehead."

"Cya tomorrow Rika." I said. So here I was again, staring at the night sky. But something was different. I smiled as I went inside and lied on the bed. It didn't take me long to drift into sleep.

000

T.K's PoV

I walked outside of my apartment and entered the elevator. I reached the ground level and walked across the street on the new bakery that opened just yesterday. That was really convenient, since we had to go some blocks away to buy bread. I entered and was surprised by the line. Was it so popular after only one day? They must be making awesome bread them. After a couple of minutes, it was my turn and I was greeted by nice woman.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She asked me cheerfully. I would be cheerful as well if my business had so many customers after the first day.

"First of all welcome to the block. I hope everything goes well." I said, not forgetting my good manners. The woman smiled at me.

"Thank you young man. I hope so too." She said.

"Ok. I'd like to buy some bread. Give me one loaf please." I said.

"One loaf of bread, coming!" She said as she a loaf from behind her. She placed it on the counter and was told me the price. As I searched my pocket for the money, the phone rang, so the woman picked it up.

"Hello, Odaiba's Matsuki Bakery here... Oh, hi Mr. Matsuki...What?" She asked as her eyes widened. "What can I say... Yeah, everything's fine here... Yeah, I suppose we could use some help here... Are you sure about it? Ok, we'll be expecting you tomorrow then... Ok, I'll see what I can do." She said and closed the phone.

"What was that about?" I asked her. I could tell what she heard shocked her.

"Well, this bakery isn't mine. It is actually a chain and I am a mare employee. Yesterday, the bakery the Matsuki family worked on caught fire and was destroyed." She said.

"That's awful!" I said in shock.

"And there's more. You see, their house was above the bakery, so right now they have no place to stay. They asked me to try and find a place around here because they decided to come and live here till it's repaired." She said.

"How big is this family?" I asked as an idea crossed my mind.

"Just three people. The parents and a son." She said.

"There is an apartment on my building that's for rent and I think it'll suit them. And it's exactly across the street from here. " I said. The woman looked at me and smiled.

"That's great! Say..." She hesitated.

"You want me to go and ask some information, right?" I asked and the woman nodded. "Sure, the owner is a friend of my mother." I said. "Anyway, here's the money." I said.

"No way. You've been so nice and helpful. This is a gift from me." She said. "Thanks again."

000

"Good morning Hina." Natsuko said as the woman left her apartment.

"Oh, good morning Natsuko. How are you, how is Takeru?" She asked as she spotted the woman.

"Everything's good. How about you, found anyone interested in the apartment?" She asked.

"Not yet. It's only been a week, I'm sure it will be a couple of more days till people actually show up." She said.

"Hello mom, what are you doing outside the door?" T.K asked as he got out of the elevator.

"I was about to go to a friend for some help, but I saw Hina and we talked a bit." That's when T.K turned to see the woman.

"Hello Takeru, how are you?" She asked happily.

"I'm great, what about you?" He asked her. "Found anyone for the apartment?" He asked.

"I am fine. As I said to you mother a little while ago, it will take some more time till people saw up." She said.

"Actually, some people will come tomorrow." T.K said and both women looked at him curious. "The owners of the new bakery are looking for a place to stay. I told their employee that I knew one for rent and she said they would love to check it out." He said.

"That's great. I own you one Takeru." She said smiling. "You really made my day."

"I'm just glad I helped. Let me leave the bread home and go tell them you haven't found renters yet."

000

Rika's PoV

"I wonder what's this all about." I asked my surroundings. Takato called us and said it was an emergency.

"I think it got to do with the incident yesterday." Henry said. "If I had a guess, I'd say his parents decided what they are about going to do and he wants to tell us what that is." And because he's Henry, he was probably right

"You think? Now I am curious. Hope it's not something bad..." Kazu said. "Hey Rika, Jeri isn't back yet, is she?" He asked me.

"Nop. She won't be back till Tuesday. And no, she doesn't know anything about what happened. Takato asked me not to tell her anything." I answered before he could ask the exact question.

"Guys!" Takato yelled as he run towards us. When he reached us, I could sence that something was wrong. "My parents told me their plans..." He said.

"And..." I asked impatiently. Something was definitely wrong. "What did they say." I asked.

"They decided we should move to Odaiba and work on our new bakery there... I will have to go to Odaiba till our bakery and house is rebuilt." He said.

"No..." I managed to say. He was going to leave us? Leave me? He was my first friend, my best friend. He was the reason I stopped being the ice queen. "No Takato, isn't there any other way?" I asked in desperation.

"They gave me two chooses. First one, follow them to Odaiba, and second, stay here if someone would be willing to host me." He said. I smiled. Of course someone of us would host him. If no one did, I would!

"We'll host you buddy!" Said Kazu. "You are my best friend, I'm sure my parents would be willing to host you!"

"It's not that Kazu." Said Takato, earning confused looks by everyone. "We are family. I cannot just abandon them now. They are going to leave their friends behind, and even though it hurts me to do so, I am going to." He said. My eyes widened.

"Takato..." I said. Those are the times I regret not being the ice queen.

"I'm sorry Rika, it's something I have to do. But don't worry, I'll visit you. Odaiba is only an hour or so with the subway." He said and even though it was difficult, I smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I get it gogglehead. I'll come visit you too whenever I can." I said.

"Yeah man, we all will, don't worry. You are not alone in this." Kazu said.

"Guys, he is going to Odaiba not America!" Henry said. "That's not a reason to feel bad. We'll see each other all the time."

"See guys? Everything is gonna be all right. So, before I leave, I am buying you a coffee, milk shake or anything you want!" Takato said and we all cheered.

000

Kari's PoV

"Finally." Yolei said as T.K finally entered the house.

"My, my, someone's late!" I joked. "It's not like you to come after Davis T.K." I said, earning a 'Hey' from Davis, and smiled at him.

"Yeah I know. Sorry but I went to buy some bread from the new bakery and ended up finding it's owners a house." He said.

"What new bakery?" Davis asked as he jumped. "Do they have free samples since they just opened?" He asked full of hope.

"No Davis, it's a "Matsuki Bakery". It's a well know chain. So people know they have good stuff." Cody said. I blinked.

"What? I've never heard of that chain before." I said.

"They started from a small bakery in Shinjuku and now they have five in total. Maybe they aren't so well known after all..." He explained.

"I'd say four." T.K said and I looked at him puzzled. "Their bakery in Shinjuku was destroyed by fire. So they are coming here in Odaiba till it's rebuilt. That's why I suggested Ms Hina's house." He said.

"Hey, do those guys have any child?" Yolei asked. "I hope they have a cute boy my age. Oh I am so excited." She said.

"Yolei, restrain yourself! Because Ken is absent, it doesn't mean you can go hit on every guy that's cute." I told her, even though I knew she was kidding.

"They do have a son, but I'm afraid I don't know his age." T.K said.

"If he's our age and cute, we will definitely welcome him to the neighborhood." Yolei said.

"Yolei!" Cody and Davis said at the same time. She waved her hand as if saying 'Just Kidding'

"Anyway what are we going to do today?" Davis asked.

"Let's just go to the digital world and have some fun." I suggested and they all agreed.

**End of Chapter**

Song: Promise by Melissa Fahn. Rika sang it on "Runaway Locomon"

This is getting better than I thought! Soon, there will be more digidestined. Also, thanks Kamen Rider Hazarufor your review. As for you Twilight, thanks so much! It really means a lot to me that you read my story and left such a good commet.


	3. Moving Day

Thank's to all of you that review my story! Here's chapter 3.

**CHAPTER 3: MOVING DAY  
**

Takato's PoV

"Hey buddy, when are you going to leave for Odaiba?" Kazu asked me while drinking from his chocolate milk shake. I raised my shoulders.

"Don't really know. When we find a place to rent I guess." I said. "Till then, I'm all yours!" I said smiling.

"Really? Let's see... I have to do the laundry, so since your are all ours, why don't you do it?" Rika asked me and I sweetdropped.

"I just remembered, I have to... take my dog out, yeah!" I said and all of them laughed.

"You don't have a dog Takato." Henry said laughing.

"I don't? Oh yeah, well, let's go buy one then!" I said laughing nervously, earning more laughers from the other three. I joined them.

"It's ok gogglehead, I was just kidding." Rika said and I let a really convincing sign.

"That's good to hear." I said. "So, how are your drinks guys?" I asked.

"Pretty refreshing. Everything I need on a day like this." Kazu said.

"I think the fact that I already finished mine says it all." Said Henry smiling.

"Exactly like you." Rika told me and all of us tilted our heads. "Bitter." She said and we laughed.

"You don't mean that, right?" I asked pretending to be hurt.

"Of course I don't gogglehead. My drink is refreshing and sweet." She said, causing me to choke on my milk shake. "Easy there!" She said as she started hitting me on the back. After I stopped chocking, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered it.

"Hey Takato, it's me." My father's voice said from the other line.

"Oh, hey dad, what's up?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, everything's fine, more than fine. Perfect!" He said. I blinked, but even though my father couldn't have seen it, my friends did and looked at me puzzled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We found an apartment for renting and we're on our way to check it out. And guess what, it's right across from our bakery, isn't that great?" My father asked me excited.

"Hey, that's too soon. I thought it would take at least a week!" I complained.

"Don't worry son, even if we rent the apartment, it will take some time till we move in!"

"Well, ok, I'll see you when you get back then." I said.

"Ok son, bye!" My father said before disconnecting the call.

"Great..." I said and signed sadly.

"Hey, what's up Takato?" Henry asked me. "What did he say?"

"They found a house and they are going to check it out right now. Damn, I thought I wouldn't have to leave you guys so soon." There was silence for a couple of minutes, till Rika broke it.

"Nah, it's ok Takato, we discussed it before we came here. We'll come see you all the time." She said smiling. I guess her positive energy was contagious because all of us smiled at the same time.

"She's right Takato. And when Kenta returns from America and Jeri from her aunt, the whole team will come! Just be sure to get to know the city so you can show us around!" Henry said and I nodded.

"Yeah! I know I am not alone in this. You guys rock. Time will go by really quick and I'll soon be back in Shinjuku!" I said.

"That's the spirit dude! And who knows, maybe you'll make new friends there. Even a new girl." He said giggling.

"Yeah, right Kazu!" I said smiling. "I may make some new friends, but you'll always be my best buddies. And about the girl, trust me, I'm not in the mood right now. Cheers to friendship!" I said and the happy mood before the phone call returned.

000

Tai's PoV

"Hey, Matt, turn it to the soccer game!" I yelled at my best friend, who was currently watching a channel on the T.V.

"No way Tai, I've been here first. Turn on the radio or something, I'm sure they will account the match." Matt said and I growled.

"This is my apartment, therefore it's my T.V!" I yelled at him angrily.

"You're forgetting this is my apartment as well, therefore my T.V as well." He said calmly and I looked down in defeat. Looks like sharing an apartment with him wasn't a good idea after all.

"Why did I have to agree on renting an apartment with you?" I asked in frustration.

"Tai..." He said and I looked at him. "I agreed on renting an apartment with you. And that's because it's close to the university and we share the rent. Now, could you please let me watch peacefully?"

"Fine..." I said and went to the radio in order to listen to the game. Before I could reach it though, the phone rang, so I went ahead and answered it. "Hello, Taichi and Anti soccer's residence." I said.

"Tai, can't you be serious for once in your life?" Matt asked me in anger but I ignored him. Giggles were heard from the other line before Sora's voice was heard.

"Hey Tai, how is the roommate thing going?" She asked.

"It sucks. Matt is on the T.V and I can't watch the game!" I said.

"That explains the nickname. Anyway, care about going out for a coffee(1)? Izzy and Mimi will be there too." She asked me.

"No thanks Sora, I'm going to hear the game on the radio, so I'll stay here." I said. Sora giggled for a second time on that phone call.

"We are going on a cafeteria with T.V silly. I'll be waiting, ask Matt, cya in ten." She said and disconnected.

"Yeah! I'll watch the game after all!" I yelled as I started dancing around. "Hey Matt, Sora called and she, Izzy and Mimi are going for a coffee. She asked if we'd like to go."

"Oh sure, when?" He asked me, still not taking his eyes off of the T.V.

"In ten minutes, come on!" I said as I went in my room to get my shoes.

000

"What do you mean we're leaving now?" Takato asked in shock. His father signed.

"After we went to Odaiba and had a conversation with Hina, the owner, she said that we could move in immediately if we wanted. That means we can go right now."

"But, dad, we don't have any furniture! No beds, no sofas, nothing!" Takato told his father. "How are we going to live on an empty house?"

"The house already has furniture, so we don't need to buy any. At the moment at least." He told Takato.

"But why can't we go tomorrow, do we have to travel at night?" Takato asked frustrated.

"Listen up son. We are just trying to relieve Yamaki and Mr. and Ms Shioda. If we go now, they won't have to host you for another day." His mother said.

"Mom, they offered to host me for the whole time while you'd be away. Of course they won't mind hosting me for one more day." Takato said.

"Hm..." His father let a sign before saying. "All right Takato. Tomorrow get the subway and meet us there. I know it's difficult to say goodbye, so you can come any time you like." He said.

"Thanks dad, I really appreciate it!" Takato said as he left the park happily. His mother let a sign.

"Poor Takato. Those are more than friends to him. The next six months or so will be really hard on him." She said.

"And don't forget about Guilmon too. He is going to leave his friends as well." Her husband said.

"Yeah, but Guilmon's mood can be fixed with some bread." She said giggling.

"Right, I forgot about that." He said as he giggled as well.

000

Henry's PoV

I was walking down the road towards Kazu's house. Poor Takato. I never thought he'd have to go away so soon. Everything was arranged too soon. I mean, find an apartment and move in the first day you realize your house is destroyed? This must be a record. I knew things were going to be difficult for all of us, not just Takato. Ever since the battle against the D-Reaper, we were inseparable. We had formed a connection so strong, that for the last three years, we hadn't been apart from more than a week. Well, the only exception is Ryo, since he wasn't really a part of our group.

"Now seriously Henry, are they going to leave?" The digimon that was on my shoulder asked. I signed as I answered for a fifth time.

"Yeah Terriermon. They have to, since they have lost their house." I told him.

"Maybe they want to leave. Maybe I did something and they are angry at me." He said sadly.

"Why Terriermon, did you do something so they should be angry at you?" I asked him.

"Not something specific. The usual stuff." He answered.

"Come on now Terriermon, don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. They just have to leave. That's why we are all going to Kazu's house. We are going to spend the night talking and playing games and having fun. For Takato and Guilmon's sake." I said.

The next minutes till we reached the house were silent. That's the power of friendship. Just in the thought that his friends are going to leave, Terriermon, the most annoying person in the whole world, someone that just can't keep his mouth closed for even a second, stayed silent for so long.

"Hey Henry. Rika is on my room." Kazu said as he opened the door.

"So all of us are here then." I said as I entered the house.

"Well, hello there Henry." Kazu's parents greeted when they spotted me.

"Hello Mr. and Ms. Shioda, how are you?" I asked as I followed Kazu towards his room.

"Fine thanks. Don't worry about making any noise. It's Saturday, so we don't have to wake up early tomorrow." Kazu's father said.

"Hey there Henry." Takato and Rika greeted me.

"Hey, what about me?" Terriermon demanded as he jumped on Takato's Bed.

"Hello to you too Fluffy." Rika said. This was Terriermon's latest nickname. And trust me when I say, it pisses him off.

"Stop calling me that!" He yelled as all of us laughed.

"Hello Fluffy." Renamon said as she appeared behind him.

"Damn this stupid nickname." Terriermon murmured angrily. We had all gotten used to Renamon's appearance out of thin air by now.

"GRAAAAA!" A roar was heard as Guilmon suddenly appeared from below the bead. surprising Terrirmon, who fall on his back. The whole gang started laughing while Terriermon was yelling at Guilmon.

"So, what are we doing?" Rika asked.

"We can play Strip Poker..." Kazu said grinning.

"Dream on moron." Rika said hitting him on the head, even though she was smiling.

"Was worth the try." Kazu said, still grinning.

"What about a board game. Do you have anyone Kazu?" Takato asked.

"Yeah, I have a couple. I have Taboo, Monopoly and..." He stopped. Then he smiled. "And a game that my parents bought me and is the game we will definitely play!" He said. "Imagine if!"

"Ok... So, mind explaining the rules?" I asked.

"Ok, let me get it down first." He said as he got the game from the top of his bookshelf. "We have the board which is split into two. The middle, is where the peons move and the winner is the one to reach the end. The one that surrounds it, is where the name peon moves. Depending on the name the peon is, we ask a question from the pile regarding it. Got it till here?" He asked.

"Ok, it's pretty easy to understand this, but how do we proceed in the game?" Renamon asked. Good point.

"Well when we ask the question about the person the name peon is on, we have 6 answers. The players must secretly choose one of these questions. After all of us choose, we'll reveal our cards and those of us that have the most same answer, we proceed one step. If the one that rolled the dice is one of them, then he or she proceeds two steps." Kazu finished. "Any questions?" He asked.

"I don't think it will do us any good, let's start and then see the questions." Terriermon said.

000

Kazu's PoV

"Ok Rika, your turn." Kazu said as he gave her the dice. She rolled a four.

"So, the peon goes to..." She said as she moved the name peon. "Renamon."

"Oh no..." The fox said. "The question is about me so I'll read it. " She grabbed the next question and her eyes widened. "We'll skip this." She said, trying to pass on the next, but terriermon grabbed it.

"If Renamon had to do something from below, what would scare her the most?" He started. "1: Bungee Jumping, 2: Pick up a Tarantula, 3 Ask her secret love on a date, 4: Maternity, 5: Jump from a plane with a parachute, 6: End up in the finals of a game with her best friend."

"Damn, what should I do here, Renamon isn't afraid of anything!" Guilmon said. "Ok then, let's pick one randomly."

"I know what I'll place, right Renamon?" Rika teased her partner, who blushed.

"Ok guys, in 10..." I said as I placed my choice. " 9...8...7...1...0." I joked as I revealed my card.

"Ok, so let's see. And the winner is number 3 with 4 votes, followed by number 4 with 2 votes, and number 2 is last with 1 vote!" Terriermon said.

"So Henry, Takato and I move one step and Rika two. Renamon and Kazu by choosing 4 stay foot and Guildmon... well, he is hopeless." Terriermon said giggling.

"Come one guys! Can you imagine Renamon as a mother? Poor child..." I complained.

"Let's just move on." Renamon said blushing. "Takato, your turn." She said. Takato picked up the dice and rolled...2.

"Ok, that leads to... 'invitation'(2). All right!" He said happily. Not, let's see." He rolled 3.

"So that goes to... Rika." He said. Rika's eyes widened. "And I call... Rika. So if we have the same answer, we move three spaces!" He said smiling at her.

"Let's see the question!" Renamon said as she picked the card. After a couple of seconds, she started laughing. After she managed to stop laughing, she read."If Rika appeared on stage, what would she be/do. 1: Read poems, 2: Makeshift comedian, 3: Singer, 4: Magician, 5: Snake charmer, and last but not least, 6: Striper!" She said bursting down in laugher again, this time though, everyone else laughed, except Rika of course who was turning red. I tried to picture that, but Rika knew me so well, that she hit me on the head again.

"I would love to answer that question." Terriermon said grinning. I glared at Rika as she hesitated to pick up a card. She raised her head to look at Takato, who nodded with a reassuring smile. She then picked a card and placed it down. Takato did the same.

"All right, 3...2...1... now!" Guilmon said happily. Everyone, except Rika, Renamon and Takato gulped in surprise. They had both picked 3... Rika a singer? Are we serious?

"Nice, since our answer was the same, we proceed 3 spaces. That gives me and Takato the win!" Rika said smiling. "So, wanna start over or play another game?" She asked.

000

Gigimon's PoV

I dropped my ears as Takato turned and we left. It was really depressing, since we had to leave all our friends behind and go to another city. I knew there was no other choice, so I signed and stayed in Takato's arms. I'm glad we had finally found a way to de-digivolve back into our in-training, cause that made it easier to travel around. I was just a bit disappointed that I couldn't say goodbye to Marineangemon, Jeri and Kenta. I looked at my tamer and I could tell he was sad.

"Takato, don't worry. I'm with you, you'll never have to say goodbye to me." I told him.

"I know Gigimon. And you know what? This wasn't a goodbye. This was a 'cya', like we always say when we go back home. We'll be back soon." He said and we entered the subway, knowing that we were leaving our home for quite some time...

**END OF CHAPTER**

(1): That's what we say when we go out on a cafeteria.

(2): I don't know if that's how it's on English, I have the Greek version only. Also, the 6th original answer on Renamon's question was: Order Chinese food from a Chinese menu :P. I know that Japanese and Chinese aren't the same, but they are similar. So...


	4. New School

**CHAPTER 4: NEW SCHOOL**

Davis's PoV

"Hey T.K." I said as I entered the school and spotted my blond friend. "First day of the year again." I said and sign.

"Hey Davis. Are you a bit on a mood?" T.K asked me. Was he, an idiot? I hated school, of course I'd be upset.

"What do think man? I can't stand school, yet here I am again. I will summer vacations were longer." I said.

"Oh come on, don't be like that! Think positively. Soccer season will start again." T.K said and my eyes widened as I thought about it.

"You know, you are right. I hadn't thought of that!" He really made my mood with that reminding.

"Hey guys." Yolei said as she walked towards us. "Welcome to senior high school!" She said happily. "I'm glad that some of my old friends are on my school again. But I'm even more glad that I see some cute new guys as well." Yolei said giggling.

"You just never learn, do you?" Kari asked as she appeared beside her. "Hey guys."

"Hi Kari. So, are you excited?" T.K asked her. "New school, new friends, new experiences."

"Not as much as I expected. I mean, it doesn't look different from junior high." Kari said. Yolei giggled.

"Trust me Kari, it may look different, but it's not! Things are so much ahead than they were on junior high." She said. What's that supposed to mean?

"Let's just focus on getting good grades for starters." Kari said and I blinked.

"What are you talking about Kari? I'm going to focus on entering the soccer team. Who cares about grades?" I cheered.

"Davis, if you don't get good grades, you'll never do anything good with your life." T.K told me.

"Who cares! I'm going to become a top football player and enter one of the best clubs ever!" I said laughing, causing the others to sweetdrop.

"That's just silly Davis. I know you like football and you're pretty good, but try to get a degree just in case." Kari told me.

"Don't worry, it will be easy. I can imagine it right now. I, holding the cup and standing in the middle of the court, girls cheering and photographers fighting to get my best shot for their magazines." I said as I pictured my success.

"Ok... Davis, you'd better snap out of it, because classes start in a couple of minutes and since you are new, you must be there to know your schedule." Yolei said, forcing me back to reality.

000

Takato's PoV

I looked around nervously. I was leaning against the wall, waiting for the professor to enter the room. Everyone on this room were new to the school, but most of them, if not all, knew each other from junior high. I was the only one that wasn't conversing and just waited, which made me even more nervous than I already was. I signed as I thought that in Shinjuku, school started a week later. I could imagine Henry and the others on the park talking and having fun. God, there had been only a day and I missed them. How was I supposed to leave here for the next, I don't know, eight months?

"Hello everyone, please be quite for a moment." A woman said as she entered the big room. "I am about to tell you guys your classrooms, so listen carefully. From A to E, proceed to classroom No 15. From F to J, proceed to classroom No 16. From K to P proceed to classroom No 17 and from Q to W, proceed to classroom No 18. You will meet your professors there, and they'll explain further." She said and left the room.

"So I am on No 17. Well, let's go." I said as I made my way towards classroom No 17, following the signs. When we reached the second floor, we split in groups, heading for our classrooms. The classroom was big, with three lines of desks, and 6 desks each line. I sat on the second desk in the middle line and just waited.

"Let's sit here Kari." I heard someone saying from behind me and soon, he sat one desk behind me.

"Ok Davis, as you wish." Another, female voice, probably belonging to Kari, said.

"This place is just perfect. We are in the middle line, which means the professor will be able to see only the first on the line. We are free to do anything we like!" The boy, Davis said.

"For you, it'll probably be sleeping." The girl giggled and the other laughed nervously.

"Yeah... Anyway, it's too bad T.K ended up on a different class than ours. I wonder if they have started already..." The boy said. As he finished, a woman in her late 20s entered the class.

"Good morning class, I am Ms. Shaiko. I'll be teaching you math for the next year. Since I don't know anyone here, why don't you introduce yourselves?" She asked as she pointed on the first person on the left line. Eventually, she reached me.

"I'm Takato Matsuki." I said. Everyone was phasing me, since I was the new guy and no one knew me.

"Hm... Takato Matsuki..." She said thinking. "Are you by any chance from Shinjuku?" She asked me and I nodded puzzled. "And you had Nami Asaji as a teacher."

"Yes... How do you know that?" I asked confused.

"Oh, she's a friend of mine and she used to talk about some of her students. You were one of them. She said you and three other students were the only ones that managed to skip school without getting scolded from her. She really liked you." She said. I laughed nervously. Of course she did, we skipped school because we had to save the world... I looked around and noticed that everyone looked at me with wide eyes. Just great.

"Thanks I guess..." I said. All around me, people were whispering, and there was no doubt that they were talking about me.

The class was pretty boring. I was never good at maths anyway. It was really difficult to concentrate and a lot more to stay awake. I finally decided that it would be best to just stop listening instead of sleeping on the desk. I thought about my friends back in Shinjuku. Henry and Rika would have a card battle, while Kazu was watching. Terriermon would enjoy the sunshine and Renamon would stay up a tree and just relax. If Guilmon and I were there, things would have been slightly different. Guilmon and Terriermon would run around playing Tag, while Kazu would battle me instead of watching. I kept thinking about them, when the all too familiar sound was heard, signaling it was time for a break till the next class.

"Hello, Takato." I heard from behind me and I turned. The boy named Davis smiled at me. "I am Davis, nice to meet you." He said extending a hand. I shook it.

"Nice to meet you too." I said smiling. Well, looks like it wasn't that difficult to make new friends after all. Davis was a bit taller than I was, with long a bit afro like brown hair. He was wearing brown sneakers, black shorts, blue shirt and last but not least, a pair of goggles.

"That was pretty cool man! Skipping school and get away with it? You are awesome!" Davis told me and I laughed nervously.

"Come on now Davis." The girl that was Kari looked at me smiling. "I am Kari." She said and extended her hand. She was a bit shorter than me, with long brunette hair about her shoulder's length and brown eyes. She wore white sneakers with pinks stripes, white shorts and a yellow-pinkish blouse.

"I'm Takato." I said. I knew things were going good. I had already made two new friends on my first day.

"We're going to class No 18 to see a friend, wanna come?" Kari asked me and I nodded. As I stood up and followed Kari and Davis, I was blocked by three girls.

"Hello there cutie." The first one said. I sweetdropped. Things would sure be interesting.

000

T.K's PoV

"Ok class, that's it for today, dismissed." The man said and I got up. Damn, senior high sure was difficult. I stood up and headed for the class next to mine. Class No 17. I waited outside and soon spotted the boy and the girl that I was looking for.

"Hey guys, how was your first hour in Senior?" I asked them with a smile.

"Boring." Davis simply.

"Don't ask Davis about school. If you ask me, I'd say... different." Kari said and I nodded at her.

"So, anything interesting happened?" I asked them.

"Hell yeah! There was this kid, Takato. Our professor knew a teacher of his and she said he skipped school and didn't get a scolding. That guy is awesome!" Davis said and I sweetdropped.

"Ok... I guess this Takato is new to the school? Since I don't know him." I asked.

"Yeah. He is a really nice guy. Look, there he is." Kari said and I turned to see a guy laughing nervously as he was surrounded by some girls. He looked at Davis and he said something to them, before leaving and joining us.

"That was unexpected." He said. He then looked at me and smiled. "Hello, I'm Takato." He said.

"I'm Takeru, but everyone calls me T.K. Nice to meet you." I said. "So, knew in town?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. We moved in yesterday. We own the new bakery not far away from here." He said.

"Hey, you mean you're the family that their house was burnt down?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah. How do you know that?" He asked in shock.

"I am the one that found you that apartment. And you live right next to me." I said.

"Really?" He asked me. "That's good. I guess..."

"Of course it is. You can visit whenever you want. If I'm there of course. I know how it feels to leave you friends behind and go to an unknown place." I told him.

"Hey Takato, forgot to ask, do you play football?" Davis asked him.

"Well, I play sometimes, but basketball is my kind of sport." Takato said.

"Hey that's great, I play basketball. Are you a good player?" I asked him.

"I don't know. On my previews school, we didn't have a team and only a couple of kids played. So I don't know how much credit to give me." He said.

"Me and some friends have decided to play after school. How about joining us so we can see how good you are?" I asked him.

"Ok. I don't have anything to do after all." He said. I had started to like that guy...

000

Takato's PoV

Those guys were pretty good. The game was far more difficult than playing with my friends. We were playing 3 on 3 on half court and I was with T.K and another guy. I couldn't pass through them so that I could score from inside the racket, so I was trying to pass the ball to T.K, who was pretty good on 3 point shoot. I managed to break through their defense a couple of times, but that was all. After about two hours, we finally decided to call it an end. Needless to say we lost.

"You're pretty good man." Charlie, the tall brunette that was on T.K's team said. I tilted my head in confusion, as I stared at him.

"What are you talking about? I suck. I wasn't able to do much, only score a couple of points." I said.

"You did far more than that. You did some pretty good passing. I scored almost half of my points because of your precise passes." He said.

"Yeah Takato. You were really difficult to predict." Jake, the red haired from the other team told me.

"Are you sure? I lost the ball many times on that game." I said. I couldn't figure out if those guys were serious or just making fun of me.

"Takato, you have a unique talent." T.K told me and I looked at him puzzled. "You can pinpoint the location of all players. Like when you gave me that nice pass behind your back. You knew exactly where I was. I don't know if you can do it with a 5 on 5 game, but it's really good. If you ask me, I say you should go to the tryouts." He told me and my mouth opened.

"But, T.K, you are all far better than me. There will surely be many guys out there better than me." I said. We had by no said our goodbyes and were on the way back home.

"Takato, those that played with us are the senior high school team's top players." He told me and I blinked. No wonder they were far better than me then.

"I guess if you think I should try for the team, then I could." I said.

"Good choice!" T.K said and smiled. "By the way, I'm going to meet up with Davis, Kari and two more friends later in the evening, want to come along?" He asked me.

"I'd love to!" I said. First day at school and I had already made some new friends.

000

Davis's PoV

"I'm here guys!" I yelled as I run towards my friends. I stopped in front of them to catch my breath.

"Right on time Davis!" Kari told me. I looked at her and smiled.

"What do you mean on time? T.K told me at six o'clock and it's half past six..." Takato said.

"Oh, hi Takato. I didn't know you'd come." I said. I soon realized that he was ready to feel unwanted, so I quickly added. "Yeah! The more the merrier. So, let's go!"

"Where are we going guys?" Takato asked. I was about to answer him, but T.K beat me to it.

"We're going to the cafeteria that's nearby. We'll meet Cody and Yolei there."

"So, Takato, tell us something about how you life was in Shinjuku." Kari siad. I just then realized that Takato was a bit nervous. Good call Kari.

"Well, it's nice, but it can be pretty boring as well. I was living on a quite district and I consider myself lucky, because it was really close to the park." Takato said. "School was close as well, and we would always go to the park after school and just hand around when the weather was nice."

"You sure love Shinjuku." T.K said and I blinked. "What about your friends. Do you have a lot there?"

"Yeah. We are a sort of a team. We're about six there and we have a friends who's a bit far, but he comes visiting all the time. Those guys are more than just my friends. We've been through so much together..." He said and signed.

"Is your girlfriend there too?" I joked and Kari poked me on the shoulders. I turned around and noticed he was starting to look sad. "What I am trying to say is..." I struggled, trying to find something to say.

"What kind of face is that gogglehead?" A famine voice from behind me asked. I turned around with a confused look, only to see a girl I didn't know.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, so you are a gogglehead as well?" She asked me. I tilted my head. Who else was a gogglehead.

"Rika? What are you doing here?" Takato asked smiling.

"You know that girl Takato?" T.K asked him.

"Of course I do. She is one of my best friends from Shinjuku. When did you get here?" He asked.

"About half an hour ago. I got to your place with my furry friend and your mother told me you were out, so I came to see you." She said. Furry friend?

"So, she couldn't stay away from Guil after all." He said and smiled. This is starting to get a bit confusing.

"Yeah. So, are you going to introduce me to your new friends?" She asked.

"Oh, right, this is T.K and Kari." He said pointing at the two of them who said their 'Nice to meet you'. "And this is Davis. They are all kind enough to show me around." He said.

"Yeah. Don't worry, your friend is in good hands!" I said laughing.

"Well, that's good to know. You mind if I come along?" She asked.

"Of course. It's always good to make new friends." Kari said and smiled.

"I agree. Instead of just five we had planned, we're gonna be seven. As I said before, the more the merrier!" I said and started walking ahead of them.

End of Chapter


	5. Return

Sorry everyone it took me so long, but I've been REALLY busy lately and I am also sorry to say that I don't know how long it'll take me to update the next chapter. I have so many things to take care, especially my university exams. If they don't go well, I'll be in a bad situation and I definitely won't have free time to write... So make a New Year's wish so I can do well xD And that reminds me: **HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!**

**CHAPTER 5: RETURN**

Yolei's PoV

I tapped my foot as I waited inside the main lobby of the station. I had been here for about half an hour, waiting for a certain train to arrive, but it looks like it was a bit late. Oh, all right, a lot late. Ken called me and said he'd be here in about five o'clock and it was a quarter past five. I signed and raised my shoulders. Complaining wasn't going to help me.

I decided to think of something else, to ease my frustration. My first thought, was about Takato, the new kid, and his friend Rika. They were sure lively. They fit into the group nicely and we had a really wonderful evening. Whenever I thought that his house got burned down, I felt impressed. He was full of positive energy. If my house was destroyed and I had to go on another city, I would have been crushed. That would be, if I wasn't a digidestined of course. I had been through a lot worse than that after all.

This lead to another question. What were we to do with our digimon. Sure, they were in the digital world, but I was pretty sure they wanted to come to the real world. I really missed waking up to see the pink furry ball sleeping next to me. I'm Gennai had a reason for asking all our digimon to stay in the digital world for a while. We could always go there and see them, but it would be better if they could come... Well, I just had to trust Gennai, right?

"Attention everyone. The train No. 24 has arrived..." A voice said and I turned to the electrical board on the wall, ignoring the rest. That was the train Ken was on.

"At last!" I complained as he entered the main lobby. Man he was handsome as always. His blue hair were a bit longer than when I met him. He wore a black shirt with a gray jacket, black trousers with gray tennis shoes. A weird combination of cloths, but it really suited him.

"I am happy to see you too Yolei." Ken said as he gave me a quick kiss on the lips and smiled. "Izzy called and told me to go to Tai and Matt's place when I get here." He said.

"Is there any specific reason?" I asked in confusion.

"He said Gennai wanted to tell us something." He said.

"Oh, don't just stand there, let's go!" I said as I started moving.

"Yolei..." Ken said and I turned to look at him. "I need to get my luggage back home." He said.

"We can ask from Matt to get you home with his car. Let's go." I said as I signaled for a cab to stop.

000

Cody's PoV

We were sitting in the living room of Tai and Matt's apartment, waiting for Yolei and Ken to come. Everyone was sitting in silence, something quite unusual, since both Tai and Davis were there. After a couple of minutes, Matt signed and opened the T.V.

"We are going to wait for a while, so let's just watch T.V, since no one is in the mood to talk." Matt said, looking at Tai when he said that. Tai just moved his finger gesturing 'not gonna happen'.

"Is something wrong Tai?" T.K asked him. "Have you caught a cold or something?" Tai shook his head. I tilted mine in confusion.

"What's taking those guys so long?" Mimi asked in frustration. "I can't wait to know what Gennai wants to talk about."

"Calm down Mimi, Ken must have reached the station by now. They'll be here in fifteen minutes the most." Sora said, trying to calm her friend.

"I agree Mimi, don't worry, be patient." I said and she signed.

"Why can't I have the crest of patience? I have to be patient on a lot of things lately." She complained.

"Don't worry Mimi, I'm sure everything will be all right." Joe said. Luckily, there was a knock on the door. Izzy, being the closest to the door, opened it and Yolei alongside Ken entered the apartment.

"Hey guys, we're here." Yolei said happily.

"Hello Yolei. How was your trip Ken?" I asked my friend.

"It was really nice Cody. But I'm glad I'm back home with my friends." He said smiling.

"And the winners are... Davis and Tai!" Davis yelled as he jumped up from the sofa. Everyone looked at him curiously. "The four of us had a little bet." Davis said, pointing on Tai, Sora and Matt.

"Yeah. Sora and Matt said that we couldn't stay silent till Yolei and Ken get here. So now we won." Tai cheered. Sora and Matt signed.

"Well, Tai, Davis, you guys really surpassed my expectations." Sora said.

"I hate to interrupt, but I have something to tell you." A voice from Izzy's laptop said.

"Hello Gennai, it's good to see you." Izzy said.

"Always good to see you digidestined. I have good news. It's time for your digimon to return to the real world. My experiment worked. " He said.

"Really. That's great!" Yolei said. "So, mind telling us what this experiment was about?"

"I found a way to scan Odaiba for traces of digital data." He said. "I can now tell when a digimon is in Odaiba. I wanted for your digimon to leave the city so I can run a scan without them."

"Yet, there is something in your voice. Something is wrong, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Indeed Cody. Your digimon have been away the whole week. Till two days ago, there was no trace of data. But yesterday, something appeared. My device isn't able to trace the exact location of the digimon, but there's definitely a one out there." He said.

"What?" Davis asked in disbelief. "Is it an evil one?" He asked both excited and afraid of a new adventure.

"I don't know. If it was just a random digimon, I'm sure it would have made its presence known. So my conclusion is that either another digidestined is currently in Odaiba, or that a digimon is hiding in the city." Gennai said.

"Our digivices haven't tracked another in the city and I haven't received any messages, so there mustn't be a digidestined here." Izzy said.

"What if it's a lost and scared digimon?" Kari asked. "We must find it and help it back to the digital world safely."

"It is a possibility. Either way, we need to find it." T.K said.

000

Takato's PoV

I was walking at the park of the city. I had to find a safe way to move Guilmon around. He wasn't used to staying indoors for a long time. The park was pretty big, so it provided the necessary cover, but that wasn't enough. I had to learn the park, so we could escape as soon as possible if we had to. I have to thank Rika for letting Renamon stay with us. Guilmon would have wanted to get out if it wasn't for her. My cell phone rang and I looked at the screen. I signed as I saw the name.

"Hello Jeri, how are you?" I asked as cheerfully as I could.

"Hello Takato. I'm fine, what about you?" She asked me, her voice full of concern

"I'm fine, thanks." I said. I heard her sign from the other line.

"Why didn't you tell me what happened? I thought we promised to stay best friends."

"We are best friends Jeri. I just didn't want to ruin your weekend." I said. "I'm sure you would have gotten back for me."

"Of course I would! Do you think I'm happy now? I was having fun while you were going through so much. I feel awful..." She said sadly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I've already made some new friends here. Renamon and Rika came yesterday as well." I said.

"I'll come too. I can't today since I just arrived, but I'll visit tomorrow." She said.

"That would be great. School has already started here, so if you come in the morning, I will be there. If not, call me when you leave, so I can pick you up from the station." I said.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then!" She said cheerfully. Good old Jeri. I disconnected the call and got back to memorizing the park

An hour later I left. I was in a good mood cause I managed to find many ways for Guilmon to go unnoticed. There was only one thing I was scared of. Guilmon was used to walking in Shinjuku's park, but it was going to take him some time to get used to the new paths here. I would have to take him with me and saw him where to move, but still, this would be difficult. I could get him late at night, since there was almost no one and maybe...

"Takato, is that you?" A voice from above stopped my train of thoughts. I looked up and saw T.K looking at me from a balcony.

"Hey T.K, how are you?" I asked.

"Pretty good, what about you. Were you having a stroll at the park?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah. I always liked exploring and the park is a good place to do it." I said smiling.

"Hey Takato!" I heard another voice from above and Davis appeared next to T.K.

"Hello Davis. You're all up there?" I joked and soon after, Kari, Yolei and Cody appeared and greeted me. But I was on for a surprise, as seven more people came into view. "Wow, are you having a party or something?" I asked as I tilted my head.

"Nop." Kari answered. "We were just talking about some things." She said.

"You sure are many. Hello guys... and girls." He added as he realized there were a couple of girls as well. "I'm sorry but I can't stay for introductions. I have a couple of things to fetch for my mother. So see ya!" I said as I waved my hand.

"One thing Takato." T.K said and I turned to look at him. "We're going to play basketball later that evening. Want me to keep a spot for you?" He asked and I smiled.

"Sure thing! See you there then." I said and resumed walking home.

000

Izzy's PoV

"Carefree guy that Takato." Tai said as we entered the apartment again.

"He may be carefree, but don't forget he is doing some chores for his mother. He must be a responsible person as well." Sora told him.

"Ok, forget about him for a couple of minutes. We still have to find that digimon." I said eagerly. My curiosity had gotten the best out of me and I wanted to know what kind of digimon it was and how it got here.

"We could start from the park... It's where they usually go." Kari suggested.

"And we better split up." Cody followed. "That way we'll cover more ground faster."

"I agree. And I'll also suggest that not all of us go to the park." Ken continued.

"We should also go downtown. They are attracted by the crowd as well." Matt was the one to speak this time.

"Ok then. Cody, T.K, Matt and Sora will go to the park and split into two groups. Davis, Kari, Joe and I will go downtown, Yolei, Ken, Mimi and Izzy, you go and search near the school. All right everyone?" Tai said.

"Take your D-Terminals with you and if you find anything sent a message." I said.

"Ok, let's go guys!" Matt said and the groups took off.

My group was really weird. Ken and Yolei had their arms around each others waist and were talking quietly, while Mimi and I just walked in silence not looking at each other. I knew I was responsible in a way for that, but I couldn't make it up right now. After a couple of long minutes, I had a quick peak at her and she seemed pretty down. I signed.

"So... How was your trip Ken?" I knew Yolei was gonna kill me, but this silence was far worse. Ken broke their gaze and looked at me smiling.

"Really good. I met all sort of people and I had a lot of fun." He said. "What about you Izzy? I heard you had gone to America for a computer seminar."

"America was prodigious! The seminar wasn't all that great, I already knew most of the things we discussed, but I had a hole week free to do whatever I wanted." I said. That week was really a great week.

"And what did you do that week?" Yolei asked me. She seemed a bit annoyed about my interruption. I knew she would be.

"Well, the first couple of the days I just hacked a couple of programs and surfed through the internet. The next I was out all day doing some shopping." I said before I could think about it. Yolei's eyes widened and Ken tilted his head.

"You went for shopping? You rarely leave the house and you went for shopping? How did that happen?" Yolei asked me still in shock. I shouldn't have said that. I struggled to get an answer, but unfortunately, Mimi spoke.

"I met with Izzy there and dragged him out of his sorry house." Mimi said.

"Oh, that makes sense. You always have been the one to drag Izzy. Luckily he has you and he spends some time out." Yolei said. She does? I thought as I tilted my head.

"There's the school. Ok, let's split up you guys." Ken said.

000

Takato's PoV

"Yeah, Guilmon bread!" Guilmon yelled happily as he started eating the bread I brought him, forgetting all about Renamon.

"Here, I brought for you as well." I said as I gave her some bread.

"Thank you Takato." She smiled and disappeared from view. Typical Renamon, hide somewhere to eat, most of the time up a tree.

"So, what do you think of our new home?" I asked my partner. He swallowed, thankfully, before answering.

"I haven't really thought about that. It's smaller than the one back in Shinjuku and it's really high up. I definitely prefer our old home." He said.

"Me too buddy, but it's only temporary. In about a year from now, we are going to remember our time here and laugh." I said and smiled at him.

"Really?" He asked me in awe and I nodded. "I can't wait for those 365 days to pass!" He said excited and I sweet-dropped.

A couple of minutes later, Guilmon finished the bread and Renamon appeared on my bed. It was early noon, so I had some time till I left to find T.K and his friends. Both digimon conversed happily, while I sat on my computer's chair looking at them. Guilmon was the one talking the most, while Renamon just nodded at him. He recalled the times he and Rika talked, but it was a little different. He would be the one talking and Rika, instead of nodded like Renamon did, would smack his face.

"What do you think Takato?" Guilmon suddenly asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Come again?" I asked.

"Do you remember how much fun we had while making bread back when the D-Reaper caused chaos thought out Shinjuku? It was real fun!" He said.

"Yes it was buddy." I said and Guilmon nodded, focusing on Renamon again. I smiled as I recalled good old times, where the trio, Henry, Rika and I kept the wild ones and the Deva in check, and I wished I had some more adventure. I should have known better. Adventure always follows me around...

End of Chapter


	6. Trouble at the docks

**CHAPTER 6: TROUBLE AT THE DOCKS**

T.K's PoV

We arrived back at the apartment and Matt unlocked the door, letting us all in. We had been searching for around two hours and we found absolutely nothing. I sighed and sat on the couch, soon followed by Sora. She took the remote and opened the TV, switching through the channels. Cody and Matt where busy at the computer looking for any news on the internet. About ten minutes later, we all turned at the door by the sound of keys.

"Nothing downtown and my feet are killing me!" Davis complained as he entered the room, before even Tai could. "What about you guys?" He asked us and Matt shook his head.

"Sorry Davis, same luck." He answered. Davis growled and went to the kitchen.

"Don't worry guys, there are still the others. It's highly possible that they have found it. Let's just wait for them to arrive." Sora said. As if they heard her, the doorbell rang and after Cody opening the door, Izzy and his team entered. Just by looking at their faces, I knew they didn't find it. I sighed again and turned towards Tai, who returned from his room.

"How did it go?" Joe asked and Mimi shook her head.

"So no one found it. This sucks!" Davis said. As he left the kitchen with a toast in hand.

"Don't worry Davis, we'll look again tomorrow." Yolei said, trying to sound hopeful, but failed miserably. There was absolutely no clue on where the digimon could be.

"Ok... now what?" Ken asked as he crossed his arms and looked at the rest. "Don't know about you guys, but I am not in the mood to spend my Saturday inside."

"He is right. And since the whole gang is here, what do you say we go somewhere together?" Davis asked/cheered, switching mood rapidly. "It's gonna be really fun!"

"I vote 'yes' on that." Mimi said smiling. "It's been a long time since we did that."

"I think it's better to ask for 'no'. So, anyone doesn't like this idea?" Sora asked.

"I am going to join you guys later. We are going for a quick match and I'll catch up when I'm finished." I said.

"Ok T.K no problem. Just don't come at midnight." Matt said and I nodded.

"Ok digidestined, ready to have some fun?" Our leader said and headed for the door.

"Tai... don't want to spoil the fun, but we have to get ready." Sora said and when Tai looked at her confused, she giggled. "We are girls." Tai just mouth and 'oh', before returning and sitting back on the couch.

"Ok guys, I am off and I'll see you later!" I said and left the building. I reached the basketball court ten minutes later and everyone was there.

"Hey T.K. Ready to play?" Jake asked and I grinned at him.

"As always." I answered and we sorted into groups. The teams were the same as yesterday. Takato's performance was a lot better than yesterday, maybe it was because he now knew his talent. We finished the match about an hour later and we actually won.

"What do you think now Takato? Are you pleased with yourself?" Jake asked Takato and the later smiled. He was covered in sweat and breathed heavily. He really gave it all.

"Yes. I scored more points than yesterday, right?" He asked and I nodded. "I know that basketball is a team sport, but I can't help feel proud for scoring." He said and scratched the back of his head.

"We all do Takato. Knowing that you scored many points for your team really makes you brag." I told him smiling.

"You should know that, right T.K? You are the top scorer of most our games after all." Jake said gently punching my shoulder. "You are the man!" He said.

"Our team has gotten many awards during the time we played. I got the title of the top scorer and Jake here of the greatest percentage on three points." I said and Takato looked at both of us in awe.

"Really? You guys are awesome!" He said. We left the court and all three continued on the same road.

"But no member of the team has ever gotten the award of MVP. T.K has gotten close many times, but always lost. It's too bad really." Jake said with a sad expression.

"Nah, don't worry, I'll get it sooner or later. Or who knows, maybe Takato will." I said and grinned at Takato, who looked dumbstruck.

"You kidding right?" He asked and I shook my head. He really had the potential to do it. He just needed some training. "That's too much T.K... I don't really believe I have a chance." He said.

"We'll see in time." I answered. We said goodbye to Jake and continued towards our building. "Do you have any plans for today Takato?" I asked him as we stopped outside our apartments.

"I don't know... My parents will go out to have dinner and I'll probably join them. Who knows. What about you?" He asked.

"We are going out, I am not sure where yet. We are having some sort of reunion... well, not exactly that since we all live around here, but we don't usually go out together." I said.

"What kind of reunion? The ages varies between you, so you can't be old schoolmates, right?" Takato asked and I nodded. "Were you spending the summer on the same camp or something like that?" He asked.

"Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, I am going to take a shower and call them. I'll see you tomorrow or on Sunday, ok?" I asked and he nodded. "Good night." I said as I opened the door.

"Good night, have fun on your reunion." He told me and I closed the door.

000

Takato's PoV

By the time I entered the house, I was greeted by low growling. Blinking in confusion, I followed the noise to my room and opened the door. Inside, I realized Guilmon was the source of the growling. He was in his 'Berserk Mode' and looking outside the window. Renamon was also looking, but with a calm expression. Without even turning to face me, she said.

"A digimon has appeared. There is something strange though... There is no digital field around." She turned to face me. "If we don't do something, this is going to attract some attention." I nodded.

"Guilmon, we have to go now. It still early, but with a hood we might be able to minimize the attention on you. Renamon, I am sure you won't have any problems concealing yourself." I said and to prove my point, she disappeared. "Let's go boy!" I told Guilmon, took a hooded jacket and threw it on him.

We left the apartment and quickly headed down the road. I didn't know where the digimon was, but I trusted Guilmon senses. A couple of times, I could see Renamon appear up a tree looking at me, confirming we were going the right direction. About ten minutes later we reached the entrance to the docks, where fire could be seen coming from one of the warehouses.

"It's in there." Renamon appeared next to me. "I may not have Rika, but I can still fight, even as a Rookie." She said and I nodded.

"I know that. Guilmon, if it is possible, I want you to stay as a Rookie. I haven't really found a place to hide you and it will be pretty difficult to get you to the park from here." I said and he nodded, still growling. "Let's go!"

We run towards the warehouse, where workers were trying to put out the fire. We managed to get inside without attracting attention and we came face to face with a yellow dinosaur like creature. I stood on its hind legs and its right arm was bigger that the left with two sharp red claws. Its right shoulder was protected by a metal plate, same goes for its long tail. Finally, its head had a brown head plate with a horn like Greymon's.

"What the heck is that thing?" I wondered as I searched its data on my D-Ark. "Cyclonemon, Dragon digimon, Virus attribute, champion. Are you ready guys?" I asked and when I looked at them, I quickly added. "And girls of course!" Renamon smirked and disappeared.

"Diamond Storm!" She yelled, reappearing from above Cyclonemon. The Dragon digimon cried out as the shard hit the back of his head, and turned around, facing Renamon.

"Hyper Heat!" He (definitely from the deep voice) yelled and shot a red beam from his mouth, _(A/N: I don't think that's what this ability does. I just used it as the attack from DW3)_ witch Renamon dodged pretty easily.

"Ready to join the fight boy?" I asked and Guilmon nodded. "Then let's have a couple of boosts." I said and got two cards from my deck. "Double-Modify... Power, Speed activate!" Guilmon growled one more time before launching forward.

"Rock Breaker!" He yelled and slashed Cyclonemon a little above the waist with flaming claws. The Dragon screamed and placed his left hand over the wound. The Power modification card is definitely one of the best cards in my deck.

"You bastards!" He yelled and tried to catch Guilmon, but to his surprise, Guilmon vanished. Cyclonemon looked around, trying to find either Renamon or Guilmon, but his eyes stopped on me. "What is this? A human child? Then you are pets!" He yelled but grinned. "Let's see what you will do when I kill your dead owner!" He said sadistically and started walking towards me.

"Sorry Cyclonemon." I told him, my face serious. "A weak Champion like yourself is powerless against a tamer like me." I took one card from my pocket. "Digi Modify... Beast Sword activate!" I said and before Cyclonemon could respond, he disappeared into bits of data. Guilmon landed easily with Leomon's sword in hand.

"This is the first time I've seen someone other than Leomon using that sword in action." Renamon said as she appeared next to me.

"It's the first time I use it. Didn't have the chance since I got it. It's a pretty powerful weapon." I said and Renamon nodded.

"I don't want to barge into your conversation, but we need to leave. I am sure the workers will soon put out the fire and we don't want to be seen here." Guilmon said happily, returning to his usual self.

"You're right. Our work here is done." I said and we run outside, away from the 'crime scene'.

000

T.K left the building and calmly walked towards the game corner. It was the best place for so many people to go, since it could satisfy all of them. It was a humongous building where you could play bowling, billiard, arcade games and so on, a balcony where you could sit on tables and order drinks and snacks, and many other things.

Davis would probably be at the arcade, Tai, Matt and Ken would be playing pool with Sora and Yolei watching them, Joy and Cody would be playing bowling and Izzy, Mimi and Kari would be enjoying a drink. T.K smiled to himself and walked a bit faster when the place came into sight. He was at the entrance when he heard the siren and turned around to see the fire trucks heading towards the docks.

Curious, he started walking towards the docks, which were about five minutes walk. When he got there, he saw that a big crowd had already gathered there. Squeezing his way through, he got in the front. Even though the fire was almost fully put out, the black walls and the building made the cause of the destruction clear. The workers were sitting near the crowd breathing heavily and coughing. One of them was yelling.

"It was that huge monster that started the fire! I am telling you the truth!"

Only one word was in T.K's mind... Digimon. He left the crowd and walked back towards the game corner. It was clear that the digimon they were searching for was an evil one, or at least dangerous enough to cause so much damage. But that guys said it was huge... Then how could it conceal itself so good. His mind was racing, trying to find a good explanation. He reached the game corner and entered the building. He had to tell the others...

End of Chapter.

I am sorry it took SO LONG... And even more sorry it will take long for the next chapter as well... I didn't do that well on my exams and now I am in deep water... Anyway, I hope you are not so upset that you won't review :P


	7. The tryouts

Hello guys! I've made a mistake on chapter 5 and I said it was Sunday when it was Saturday. Just saying :P Oh, and I've also posted a poll about the story. I'd appreciate if you take some of your time to give me your opinion.

**CHAPTER 7: THE TRYOUTS**

Takato waited nervously on the bench of the school's basketball court. It was 11 o'clock and the tryouts were about to begin. T.K, Jake and the others were there as well, but they were chatting without a care in the world. He sighed and took some deep breaths trying to calm down. He loved basketball and he wanted to join the team badly. The competition was great and he knew it. That's what stressed him the most.

"Don't worry Takato, you'll be just fine. They don't ask much, just some shots, some passing and reactions under pressure. You can do all those easily." T.K told him and Takato just smiled. He didn't trust his mouth to speak.

"Relax man. Look at us, we aren't nervous. We are even laughing." Jake said and let out a laugh to prove his point. "No worries!"

"Easy for you to say. You have been through tryouts before. And let's add the fact that you are better than me." Takato said, hoping to make them understand. To his surprise, the burst out laughing.

"First of all, on our first tryouts we weren't nervous at all. To be honest we were singing one of _Teen-age Wolves(__A/N: Matt's band__)_ songs. Seriously, the coach thought we were drunk." T.K said, recalling the funny face their coach had.

"And second, we aren't that better than you." Jake said still smiling. Even though those words weren't really comforting, Takato found himself laughing softly.

"Ok everyone. You know why you are here. Before we begin, I'd like to tell you that this isn't something to pass your time. Last year, we reached the finals and we lost at the top eight. I expect hard work and good teamwork. I want a team that can break the last record, meaning, reach at least the final four. That said, let's start." The man said and looked at his notebook.

The man announced the name and the person would get the ball. Then the coach would ask the person shoot from many angles and later on try it while being guarded. Then he would ask to get a pass on a certain spot on the field from afar and while being pinned to the spot, guarded. Finally, he would ask for the player to try evade another player and score.

Many people finished the test, including Jake, who did the shooting perfectly and broke his opponent's defense quite easily. The number of students on the bench decreased as time passed and it was around 12 when Takato heard his name and stood up. The man stared at him for a while before motioning for him to get the ball. With nervous hands, he got the ball.

"Ok Matsuki, let's see what you got. I want you to score for three points from there and there." He said pointing in the corner of the field. Takato gulped. He just asked him to shoot from one of the most difficult spots...

"Ok." He said and took position. Since he wasn't under pressure right now, he took his time to prepare. He aimed and threw the ball. Takato sighed quietly as he saw the ball get inside the ring and slide through the net.

"Now I want you to do it while Jake here guards you." He said and Takato looked at Jake, who walked towards him.

"Sorry Takato, but that's also a test. He wants to see our defensive skills." Jake said and took position. The man's whistle was heard and Jake started moving his hands to block his shot. Fortunately for Takato, he knew Jake's defense from their games, so he tricked him and his shot passed him. Takato's face fell when the ball hit the ring and bounced off.

"Thank you Jake. Now Takato," The man started and Takato noticed that the man didn't use his surname. That was a good sign. "I want to you to perform some passing while guarded." He said and Takato blinked. He was the first to perform passing while being guarded **immediately**...

"Ok..." Takato said and prepared. Lucky for him passing was his strong point. He passed the ball to his 'teammate' , evading his opponents easily.

"That's enough. You may leave." Said the man and went to call the next.

"That was awesome Takato! I am sure you'll make it to the team." T.K said and Takato smiled. Now that it was all over and after what T.K said, Takato felt great.

"Thanks T.K. It'd be awesome if I did manage to make it. I never was on a team or activity before and I can't wait to see how it works." He said smiling. They sat on the bench waiting for the rest of the students to finish and when it did, the man finished taking notes and raised his gaze to the team.

"Ok everyone, I've got the results right here. The team is constructed by eleven players, as you already know I presume. If you hear your name, walk to the bench on the opposite side from here and wait for me there." He said and started saying names. Takato was looking at the man, his eyes not leaving him at all. He heard T.K and Jake's names being called and for a moment he feared that the names were called alphabetically and that he was out. Luckily, that was not the case since he heard his name called tenth and he got up to join the others.

"You did it Takato, you are in!" Jake said as he raised his hand and they high-fived.

"I still can't believe it... This is gonna be awesome!" He said excited.

"And that settles it. This is this year's basketball team." Said the man as the last student sat next to Takato. "I am not going to occupy you for long. I am Ross Garcia, your coach and I hope that we can work hard and reach the top. We practice every Monday and Wednesday after school and Saturday morning at ten o'clock. Tomorrow is off though, since the team will be officially registered on Tuesday. Dismissed." Said Mr. Garcia and we left.

"I can't wait till Wednesday!" Takato said as the three headed back home.

"My, someone is glad to join the team." T.K said. "But seriously Takato, chill down a bit. You heard Mr. Garcia, the school did great last year. We have to leave up to the expectations."

"I say we can do this. I also suggest that we do some extra training together whenever we can." Jake said and both Takato and T.K nodded. "What do you say we start from today?" He asked grinning.

"No can do. I have some important things to discuss with some friends." T.K said and Jake's face fell.

"Neither can I. I am escorting a friend back to the station." Takato answered.

"Oh... Ok then, guess I'll see you tomorrow at school, bye!" Jake said and waved before heading on a different direction.

000

"How did it go?" Kari asked when T.K entered Tai and Matt's apartment. T.K only smirked and sat down next to Davis on the couch. Matt patted him on the shoulder smiling."How about Takato?" She asked again.

"He's on the team. He was pretty good." He said and Kari smiled. "Where are the others?" T.K asked. The younger digidestined were all there, but only Matt was from the older.

"Tai and Sora have gone to get Izzy and Mimi. They will be back soon." Yolei said.

"Man, this really sucks. We have to deal with a fire-starting digimon and no clues to find it..." Davis said in frustration.

"Don't worry Davis. We are going to keep our eyes open and the next time it tries something, we'll be there." Ken said and the others nodded.

"Matt, is something wrong?" Cody asked and everyone turned to look at the older teen. He looked at Cody and sighed.

"Actually yeah... I've been thinking about what T.K said. I have come to two conclusions. Either that digimon has a way of moving unnoticed, which makes it easy for it to hide, or..." He said but posed. The others looked at him puzzled. "Or there is another digimon that took care of it." He said.

"I don't think it's the second... I mean, if it was, it had to be a digidestined's digimon and Izzy said none is here." T.K said.

"I stick to what I said the first time. I believe it's a lost digimon that attacked because it got scared and when it felt safe it stopped and left." Kari said.

"This is ridiculous... There must be a clue, but I can't think of anything right now!" Davis said holding his head in frustration.

"Davis, you _never _think of anything. Well, except maybe soccer and food." Yolei said teasingly and there was a 'Hey!' from Davis and laugher from the rest. Sometime later, the sound of keys was heard and the door opened, revealing Tai and the rest.

"Sorry to keep you waiting guys, but someone," He said looking at Mimi "had to change cloths because she realized that what she was wearing wasn't in fashion." Mimi just rolled her eye and sat down across from T.K.

"Forget about that, let's get to the point. T.K, you said that the fire at the docks was probably caused by a digimon, right?" Izzy asked as he sat next to Mimi. T.K nodded.

"And by what the worker said, it was a big one." T.K said.

"There are three possible scenarios. The first is our first thought. That a digidestined is here, but for some reason he or she hasn't contacted me. The second is that this isn't the first digimon that was here since a couple of days ago, but a digimon that appeared for a brief moment and then returned to the digital world. And last, the digimon is an evil one that's actually smart." Izzy finished. The others looked confused at his final scenario.

"What do you mean?" Tai and Davis said at the same time before looking at each other and bursting our laughing, soon followed by the rest.

"Most of the digimon we've fought were too proud to return to their previous evolutions. This one may have de-digivolved back to a smaller level in order to hide easier." Izzy said after the laughers died.

"I never thought about that." Sora said adopting a thinking expression. "If that is the case, then we are in trouble..."

"Why is that? Sure, it will be difficult to track it down, but still it's the only digimon out there. If we find any digimon, it will probably be the one, right?" Matt asked crossing his hands over his chest.

"I agree with Sora. Don't forget that every time an evil digimon attacks, it's not on its own. It will definitely have a couple of 'friends' to help it." T.K said and Cody nodded.

"Ok, we must decide guys. We have to do something, but we can't rush it. Any idea what to do?" Tai asked. The rest looked at him but no one said anything. The silence that followed was broken by the sound of Izzy's laptop. Everyone turned to look at him while he opened it and clicked on the icon on the screen.

"Hey, what's up Izzy? Oh, you're all together, that's good." Gennai said.

"Hey Gennai, perfect timing!" Izzy said and told him about last night's attack. "And now we have no idea what to do. Any suggestions?" He asked the man.

"I don't know you guys... The digital world is calm and everything's just great. If some digimon wanted to dominate the worlds, then it would be anything but calm." Gennai pointed out.

"Gennai, have you gotten our digimon? We'd really appreciate their help right now." Ken asked and Gennai wasn't able to answer, because he was pushed out of the screen by a white and blue lizard like digimon.

"Veemon! How is it going pal?" Davis asked excited to see his partner again.

"Davish! I am really bored over here and there are no cheeseburgers!" He yelled and the rest of the digimon nodded in agreement, while their partners sweet-dropped.

"Can't you forget about food for ten seconds? " Matt asked in annoyance, but he had actually missed that.

"Forget about food? Forget about food?" Armadilomon said with wide eyes, unable to believe what Matt said.

"Forget about what my brother said. We need you guys here." T.K said and the digimon nodded.

"Yeah, we heard about the attack. As soon as the gate is open we'll get there." Patamon said and while thinking he added. "And have some cheeseburger ready!" Causing another round of applause from the digimon and sweet-drop from the humans.

"Ok, we'll make sure, just come here. We missed you guys." Sora said and the digimon smiled before the screen closed.

000

"And tell Rika and the others I'll be waiting for them." Takato said waving at the fox as she slowly walked away.

"Don't forget to tell Terriermon and Impmon I miss them! Come again tomorrow!" Guilmon said happily. Renamon waved her hand without turning and disappeared in the shadows.

"Well, that's it buddy. Let's head back home. Keep that hood tighter around you." Takato said and Guilmon nodded. They slowly walked back and when they entered the apartment, the sun was already down.

"I am sleepy Takato. I am going to bed." Guilmon announced and headed for the kitchen. Takato looked at him in confusion.

"Guilmon... That's the kitchen." He said and Guilmon looked in front of him, then at Takato and then back at the Kitchen.

"Oupsy. I still haven't gotten used to the new apartment. Since I'm here, I'm gonna grab something to eat!" He said happily and Takato let out a small laugh.

"Same old Guilmon." He said and headed for his room. He changed to his pajamas and lied on his bed. He looked at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes. Something didn't feel right, like the peace wasn't going to last much longer. He didn't know how that feeling had suddenly appeared, but he decided to ignore it before sleep took over.

000

"Is everything prepared?" The voice asked. It was deep and slow, like it's owner had all the time in the world. The voice was coming from the shadows of the temple, unreachable from the moonlight.

"Not yet my lord, but soon, in a couple of days maybe. We still have to prepare that special squad. They are pretty good, but in order for our plan to succeed, they need to be perfect. The digimon are ready to be unleashed at your command and we are all positioned." The ape digimon in front of his hidden lord said.

"I've waited a long time for this moment Apemon. As long as everything goes as planned, then I don't care if I have to wait for months, or even Years!" The voice said, the determination clear.

"Don't worry my lord, we'll be ready soon and the it will work. Your plan is flawless." The ape said.

"I am so excited about this Apemon. The virus on that kid's computer is still working right?" The voice asked and Apemon nodded.

"Of course my lord. And the dumb kid hasn't realized it yet. Sometimes I wonder why people call him a genius." The ape said mockingly.

"I agree with you. As long as the virus isn't tracked, we'll be having a full report about all the digidestined's location. Soon, they will all be crushed under our feet!"

End of Chapter

This chapter was mostly a feeler... Takato is on the team, the digidestined got their digimon back and... someone is plotting against them! Can you guess? Anyway, please review. And of course, I don't know when I'll be able to update again -.- ... Sorry guys... and girls :P


	8. Dreams or Memories

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!** I just realized that I haven't given a description of Cody as a 13 years old kid, damn! I'm going back to change that, but I'm going to give you one here: He is as tall as T.K was during Season 2, with longer hair, just above his shoulder and more muscular due to Kendo. He's wearing white Tennis shoes, black knee-length trousers and a white shirt with black collar and sleeves.

**CHAPTER 8: DREAMS OR MEMORIES**

The Tamers walked outside of the subway, into the streets of Odaiba. Terriermon and Lopmon had decided to tag along and were pretending to be Suzie's backpack and staffed animal, since Henry was too old to carry Terriermon around. Suzie had grown in the past years. She was now taller, almost as tall as Henry, with longer hair that reached just below her shoulders unbound and more mature features. She wore deep blue running shoes, black trousers and a pink shirt.

It was still late morning, so they headed for the bakery instead. Suzie and Henry had a deep conversation about the computer she wanted to buy, with Terriermon and Lopmon looking rather confused. Rika and Jeri were talking about high school and its difficulties, while Kazu was next to them grinning and saying inaccurate things about it to piss Rika off and eventually get smacked on the head. About ten minutes later, they entered the bakery.

"Thank you, come again!" Takato's mother said smiling as the man exited the bakery. She then spotted them and her smile widened. "Hello kids, are you here to see Takato?" She asked kindly.

"Hello ma'am. Yeah, we missed our pal and decided to have a trip to Odaiba." Kazu said.

"That's great, I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you, but right now he is at school. He'll be back in about two hours, but if you want you can go there and wait for him." She said, but then spotted the digimon. "I see you brought some friends. Why don't you go up the apartment? I'm sure Guil will be happy to see you all." She said and went for the counter to fetch the keys.

"I know he will. To be honest, I have really missed him." Jeri said.

"Thank you Miss Matsuki, we'll leave those guys there and head for Takato's school." Henry said and the Tamers left the bakery and crossing the street, they climbed the stairs and opened the door to the apartment.

"Guilmon, where are you?" Terriermon jumped down from Suzie's back as soon as the door closed. Soon after, Guilmon appeared from the Kitchen, munching what looked like bread.

"Terriermon, Lopmon! I missed you!" He yelled spitting pieces of munched bread and crushed Terriermon in a hug, since Lopmon was still on Suzie's arms.

"What about us Guilmon?" Jeri asked teasingly, pretending to be offended. Guilmon looked at her with a confused look.

"Of course I missed you too Jeri!" He said and gave the girl a hug as well. "Takato told me you would come and I am glad you brought Terriermon and Lopmon with you. I hoped Renamon and Impmon were with you as well, but it's ok." He said, his ears dropping a bit.

"Impmon didn't feel that well and Renamon went there to keep him company." Rika said. She exchanged a serious look with Kazu and Henry. They had to talk to Takato about Impmon.

"Anyway, why don't you guys stay here and have some fun? Without demolishing the house of course." Henry said glaring at Terriermon who just smiled and gave him a 'Momentai'.

"Just don't break anything, ok?" Kazu asked and the digimon nodded. "Ok, let's go see Takato's new school!" He said and the group left the apartment.

000

The bell rang. Davis jumped up and cheered before storming off, causing both Kari and Takato to sweet-dropped. The later gathered his stuff and got out of the door, waving goodbye to Kari. He knew the others would be there; there was no chance they would actually come after school had ended. He left his books on his locker and walked out. He spotted Jake and decided to greet him before going to meet his friends.

"Hey there Jake." He said. Jake looked at him and smiled.

"Hey Takato, how was class?" He asked as he got up and approached him.

"Pretty good. A bit boring, but what the hell? It's supposed to be." He answered and Jake laughed.

"It sure does. By the way, did you hear about the ghost of the cafeteria?" He asked grinning.

"Ghost? What's that supposed to be, a scary story usually told at camp during the night?" Takato asked, rolling his eye.

"Nop, it's the new legend of the school. A first year left the bathroom of the cafeteria yelling that he saw a ghost there. After that a lot of people started spreading the rumor that the ghost does exists and that it terrorizes anyone that eats its favorite food. They say it used to be a student who blew up after eating the whole food of the cafeteria (1)." He said.

"Oh come on!" Takato said unable to hold his laugher. "I mean, seriously a ghost that blew up when it was a human?" He said still laughing.

"Don't laugh you insolent fool! The ghost is getting angry and will come for you next!" Jake said, trying to sound serious but failed miserably and joined Takato on laughing.

"Anyway, I got to go Jake, see you tomorrow during school or at practice." Takato said and waved goodbye before exiting the school. He didn't have time to reach after that. He barely managed to keep his balance when Jeri crashed him into a hug.

"Takato, long time no seen!" She yelled happily, releasing the hug. "How have you been?" She asked him smiling.

"Wow there Jeri, calm down! I am fine." He said as he looked at her. "Since when do you have your hair in a ponytail?" He asked as Jeri's long hair was gathered into a big ponytail. Takato remembered Jeri as she was when he saved her for the D-Reaper and then he looked at the Jeri in front of him. A lot had changed. Her hair had grown a lot longer, reaching her mid back and the confidence in her eyes was always visible. She wore green athletic shoes, green shorts and orange shirt.

"Not much. Just decided to try it out. So, how do I look?" She asked smiling.

"Really beautiful." He answered.

"Ahem. Angry kid." Suzie said, looking at Takato with a serious expression and arms crossed. When Takato looked at her, his eyes widened.

"Princess pretty pants! I am honored." He said with a bow. She smiled and dropped her hands.

"Good to see you Takato." She said and waved at him.

"You too Suzie." He said in return. "Hey Rika, Kazu. How is it going guys? Wait a minute… where's Henry?"" He asked realizing the absence of his friend.

"To the computer lab. He was curious about the computers." Rika answered.

"Hey pal, I really missed you." Kazu said patting him on the back. "And since Kenta won't be back till Saturday, I have to stick to the rest of the group."

"Kenta is coming back? I can't wait to see him." Takato said happily. "Now, why don't we go to the lab and get Henry out before he gets stuck there."

"Let's do that. We have to tell you something really important." Rika said seriously.

000

"In other words Cody, you believe we should ask Gennai about our next course of action." Izzy said and Cody nodded. "But I already told you, he doesn't know what to do either. Since there is no disturbance in the digital world he can't investigate or help in any way."

"I know, but he gives good advice, we could at least discuss about it. Why don't you contact him and let me talk?" Cody asked. "I am going to stand over there, at the back of the lab and talk to him via headphones."

"Ok Cody, even though I believe he won't be able to help you." He said and started typing on the computer. He inserted a couple of passwords before the image of Gennai appeared on the screen.

"Hey Izzy, what's the matter?" The man asked looking worried. "Did something happen and you contact me through the school's computers?"

"No Gennai, nothing more has happened. It's just that Cody here wants to talk to you about the digimon we're talking about." Izzy said and Gennai noticed Cody.

"Hi there Cody." He said waving his hand. "Sure, I hope I can be of some help to you."

"I hope so too. Wait a moment." He said and plugged the headphones, placing them over his ears. "Now we can talk freely."

"Ok. You said you wanted to talk about the digimon, right?" He asked and Cody nodded. "I can't help much Cody… I don't have a single clue on what may be happening."

"What if it's a rookie digimon and is currently drifting in Odaiba trying to find a way to return home? Is there any chance of this happening?"

"If that's the case it was probably forced through by someone else. And that means that it was either bullied, or served as a diversion… But I highly doubt it."

"So we leave that possibility out. The next possibility is what Izzy said, about it being an evil digimon that reverts into rookie." Cody said.

"As I already told you, things here are pretty calm. The only fighting during the last two years was between digimon over territory which is totally normal." He said and Cody sighed. "We've already discussed about this Cody. There is no point saying them over and over again."

"But there must be something you can tell us... There is a digimon out there and we need to find it."

"The only thing you can do is search around or wait for it to make a move. I am trying to finish the device to tell me the exact location, but I've done little progress." Gennai said and Cody massaged his temples.

"Ok, we'll do our best as well. Thanks for your time Gennai, good luck with your device."

"You too Cody. I got to go carry on with the improvement of the machine, so cya later." Gennai said and broke the connection. Cody removed the headphones, stood up and walked towards Izzy deep in thought.

" It's the best anti-virus program there is and you have hacked it? You must be pretty amazing!" A voice said, snapping Cody out of his thoughts. A blue-haired boy was talking to Izzy about, what else? Computers.

"It's not really that difficult. If you have hacked the websites you say you have, you are pretty good yourself." Izzy said. He then spotted Cody and motioned for him to walk closer. "Hey Henry, this is Cody, one of my friends and a pretty smart boy. Cody, this is Henry."

"Nice to meet you." Cody said bowing his head.

"Nice to meet you too Cody. I am bit surprised though... Not many people show such respect to others when they meet them." Henry said smiling.

"My father always told me to respect everyone. People always have something to be respected for." He answered.

"You father must be a wise and honorable person." Henry said.

"He was. He worked as a police officer and died on duty. He gave his life to save another." Cody said.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear it Cody..." He said.

"Don't be. My father was a great person who vowed to protect others and gave his life doing so. This is a great honor to me." Cody said proudly.

"You know Cody, I know you for less than a minute and you've already earned not only my warm spot, but also my respect." Henry said extending a hand which Cody gladly accepted.

"So Henry, are you a new student here? I haven't seen you around." Izzy said and Henry shook his head.

"I am here only to visit a friend. We came early so I decided to come here and check the computers instead of waiting." He said.

"There you are Henry." A female voice was heard from behind Cody and all three turned to look at the girl. Cody felt his heart beating faster and the world around him disappear. His eyes were pinned on the girl standing in front of him.

"Of course I'm here Suzie, didn't I tell you so?" Henry asked the girl called Suzie. "If you are here, it means classed ended and Takato came, right?" Henry asked and Suzie nodded.

"Takato?" Cody asked and both Henry and Suzie looked at him confused. "As if Takato Matsuki?"

"Yeah, do you know him..." Suzie said but stopped. "Sorry, I don't even know your name." She said smiling, sending Cody flying up the clouds.

"Cody Hida!" He said quickly bowing his head. Henry looked at him in confusion, then at Suzie and back at him and smirked.

"Nice to meet you Cody, I am Suzie as you already heard. So, do you know Takato?" She asked and Cody nodded.

"I met him on Friday when we went out with some mutual friends." He said.

"Ok. Anyway, we got to go Henry. Nice meeting you Cody, I hope to see you again." Suzie said.

"Take this Henry, it's my e-mail address. If you need help on anything computer based or not, don't hesitate to mail me." Izzy said and Henry accepted the paper.

"Thanks Izzy, nice meeting both of you. And Cody," He said looking at the younger kid. "I told you I like you, so don't worry." He said looking at Suzie who was almost out of the door, then back at Cody and patting him on the shoulder. "Cya guys later." He said and left the room.

"...What was that about Cody?" Izzy asked, but he ignored him, or rather just didn't pay attention. His mind was wondering around a certain brunette.

000

"So, what's this serious thing you need to tell me?" Takato asked worriedly. The bad feeling he had yesterday returning. They were currently at his apartment's living room, the digimon playing on Takato's room.

"As we already told you, Impmon doesn't feel that well." Rika started. "He is having some weird nightmares lately, but they seem to drain him."

"What exactly does that mean?" Takato asked. "Are they too lively or something?"

"That's not just it." Henry continued. "Ai and Mako told us he has been talking during his sleep. He has been saying 'Give me more, I need to get more to satisfy my gluttony!'... But there's even more."

"Yeah, when he wakes up, he says he dreamt that he sat on a throne as Beelzemon. But not Blast Mode... like the one he was when he attacked us. He says he could see six more thrones with shadowy figures sitting on them." Kazu said.

"And last night, he said a digimon walked inside the room and addressed them as 'Great Demon Lords'. After that, the digimon said something that displeased Beelzemon and he shot him without hesitation. He was really freaked out by then." Jeri said with shaking voice. "You should have seen him... Scared and trembling like hell."

"That doesn't sound good... Why didn't you tell me something sooner?" Takato asked.

"It's not like we knew for a long time. Ai and Mako told us two days ago. I was on the way to their house when I called you." Jeri said.

"Do we have any information about those 'Great Demon Lords'?" Takato asked.

"I searched on the internet. I couldn't find anything about 'Great Demon Lords', but I found something about 'The Seven Princes of Hell'(2). I looked at them and realized that Beelzemon has many similarities with Beelzebub, which is one of them and guess what. He represents Gluttony." Henry said.

"So, we believe that those dreams Impmon has aren't just dreams... but may be forgotten memories?" Takato asked in disbelief. "And that there are actually seven in total? This is disturbing and there are so many questions surfacing right now..."

"Exactly Takato... I just hope that Impmon's nightmares/memories are just coincidental and not triggered by something like their return..." Rika said and silence followed, with everyone having a serious expression. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from Takato's room and they all rushed inside.

"Oups..." Guilmon said as soon as the Tamers entered the room. The bookshelf had fallen down, books scattered around with Lopmon underneath some of them with swirled eyes.

"Momentai?" Terriermon said uncertain, looking at the Tamers. They rolled their eyes.

"We'll figure out something when the time comes. Right now, let's focus on prevented OUR digimon from demolishing the house." Jeri said and the others laughed.

End of Chapter

This was finished earlier than I expected. I know that the conversation between Cody and Gennai was just stupid, since they had already discussed about that, but I needed a reason for Cody to be there when Suzie appeared xD. How many of you saw that coming?

Anyway, Whitedorumon: Sorry for the late updates, but I have a really busy life right now and two more stories to keep up too... And if you were reading 'Bound for Glory' too you wouldn't complain about slow updates on this story since I haven't updated it for... 7 months now (wtf, has it been that long-.-?). About your other question, I am going to keep both teams in the dark for at least one more chapter. They may realize it on chapter 10 though (not sure yet) :P. Till next time, enjoy! Oh, almost forgot, Review please!

(1): No matter how hilarious it may sound, it's possible to actually blow up from too much food. Well, not blow up like a bomb, but I don't really want to get into details here.

(2): Considering Wikipedia they are written in Christian Demonology... I have no idea if that's true or not and I don't really care to find out. The demons the Seven Demon Lords represent are the Seven Princes of Hell, so I just decided to add this to the story.


	9. Digital Riot

**CHAPTER 9: DIGITAL RIOT  
**

The week passed by pretty quickly for Takato. His first basketball practice went better than he expected and he got to know his fellow team players better. He spent every lunch break with either T.K and Jake, or Davis and Kari. The ghost of the cafeteria was getting more popular, as two more students claimed that they saw it. Henry contacted him every day to keep him informed of Impmon's situation. Finally, Guilmon messed his room completely and broke his swivel chair. Yeap, pretty interesting week.

Saturday morning, Takato was woken up by his dear friend and partner Guilmon… jumping on the bed and throwing him down.

"Hey! Why did you do that Guilmon?" Takato asked, rubbing his shoulder that absorbed the impact from the fall "I just got back from practice and I am tired."

"Have you forgotten Takato? Today Kenta and Marineangemon are coming back!" He said excitedly and helped Takato up. Well, he actually pushed him up and brought him his clothes.

"Ok, if we want to go to Shinjuku, we need to get the subway… and to do that we need to hide those claws of yours… and your head." He said and went to his closet. He found a jacket with a hood and some old boots that would fit him. "We still need something for bottom…" He murmured, placing a hand on his cheek.

"What about toiler paper?" He asked and rushed to the bathroom.

"What? No, Guilmon, leave the toilet paper alone!" Takato yelled and rushed towards the bathroom.

About half an hour later, they left the apartment without toilet paper around Guilmon, but a pair of Takato's father's trousers. Thankfully, most people ignore Guilmon as another kid that was 'Cool' or 'Rapper' and didn't spare a second glance. They reached the station and Takato bought two tickets, just in time for them to catch the train. Inside, Guilmon stood next to the window pretending to be watching outside, while Takato was covering from the side.

When they reached Shinjuku, Takato called Kazu and they decided to meet each other outside Kenta's home. Guilmon was so excited that he was almost running, forcing Takato to keep the pace. When they finally reached Kenta's home, Takato was panting heavily and Kazu was nowhere to be seen.

"I told you we would be early and didn't need to run, but you just had to do it anyway." Takato complained, but Guilmon ignored him, at least his excitement did. Five minutes later, Kazu and Jeri appeared from the corner.

"Hi Takato, hi Guilmon." She said smiling and Takato smiled back.

"Hey you two, how is it going?" He asked and Kazu grimaced, but then grinned.

"Rika is at Impmon's again and Henry had something to do with Suzie. So today will be just the old gang again!" He said.

"Have you contacted Kenta?" Takato asked and Kazu nodded.

"About an hour ago. He said he'd be here around one o'clock. Since it's already ten passed one, he should be here any minute now." As if on cue, a car stopped in front of the house. The door opened revealing Kenta's father and…

"What the hell?" Kezu said in surprise, while Takato and Jeri just gaped at Kenta.

000

"I can't believe we still haven't found this stupid digimon!" Davis said in frustration as soon as the door closed. T.K ignored him and sat on the couch, followed by Davis.

"Yeah, we know, this is like the hundredth time you say it." Ken said and rolled his eye. "Seriously, it's not helping repeating it."

"I don't care! I just felt like getting it out of my chest." He answered.

"Then your chest must have a lot of space." Yolei said and Davis tilted his head in confusion. "Oh, forget it!" She said and waved her hand.

"We are getting sidetracked. We need to do something and since most of the old digidestined are busy with college, it's up to us." T.K said and Kari nodded.

"I say we take turns into checking the news in Odaiba and as soon as we see something that could lead to the digimon, we get there." She said.

"And how are we going to do that? By the time we see the News, the digimon will have left the scene." Davis said.

"We are not going to wait for the TV. We'll use the website Izzy told us to. It uploads any information about things in Odaiba as soon as they happen." T.K said and Davis mouthed an 'oh' before relaxing on the couch.

"Don't you have anything else on the fridge T.K?" Patamon asked from the kitchen.

"What do you mean? The fridge is almost full… Oh no, you didn't!" He said and run inside the kitchen. One look inside was enough to confirm his suspicion. It was less than half since yesterday. "My God Patamon, when did you eat all that?" He asked in a mix of anger and amusement.

"Give me a break! I missed hamburgers, meat, milk and everything. Now, is there anything else to eat?" He asked. T.K sighed and shook his head. "But I am hungry…" Patamon whined.

"Then you shouldn't have eaten everything yesterday. Simple as that." T.K said.

"He is right. You should have waited so we could eat it today together!" Veemon said and T.K sweet-dropped. Not wanting to listen the rest of the conversation, heheaded back, finding the rest of the digidestined laughing. "Just wait till you go to YOUR fridge." T.K said and sat down again.

"Already have. My mom made me go and by everything with my money… Needless to say I am broke now." Davis said. The laugher only grew louder. At that moment, every terminal vibrated. It was a message from Izzy: Digimon are going crazy on File Island. Tai and the rest have gone already, but there are too many. Cody and I will stay behind in case it's a trap. Just like that, the laugher died.

"Guys, get ready for action!" Yolei said and the digimon gathered while T.K opened the computer.

"Digiport, open!" Kari opened the portal quickly and they were sucked inside. As soon as they landed, they realized the situation. File Island was turned into a battlefield, digimon were fighting everywhere and the older digidestined, minus Izzy were trying to stop the fights.

"Glad to see you guys, we could use the help!" Tai said as Greymon blasted a couple of Tyranomon unconscious. "I don't know what's going on, but they are all furious. It's really impossible to stop them without attacking.

"Ok, let's go guys!" Ken said and everyone nodded.

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!" Patamon was the first one to evolve and the rest soon followed.

000

"Have I really changed that much?" Kenta asked. The rest looked at him and nodded. "But I only got eye contacts and spiked my hair a bit…" He said slowly. It was true, but the changes were tremendous. The lack of glasses emphasized his brown eyes and the bangs that were usually down, were now a bit spiky, just horizontal. He was definitely different.

"Dude, it's like we don't know you! I was barely able to recognize you." Kazu said, still looking at his friend. "You look cool, you know." He said and Kenta grinned.

"That was the idea. I did all that just to be cooler than you." He said, still grinning.

"Hey, no one is cooler than me! Just look at my awesome outfit and cool hair. You are a hundred years early to even come close to be considered as cool as me." Kazu said and Kenta laughed.

"Whatever man. Anyway, how is it going in Odaiba Takato?" He asked. He expected him to get a bit down, or say something like 'It's good' and drop the subject. He never expected him to actually smile.

"Pretty good. I made it to the basketball team and met a lot of people. The new apartment is close to school so I don't have to walk far and the food is actually edible." He said.

"I don't get to leave the apartment though… Takato says he still needs to look around the park to get used to it." Guilmon said and his ears dropped. Marineangemon, concealed inside his hood, said something on his language, trying to comfort her friend. "I'd like that." He replied.

"What did she say?" Jeri asked, looking at the pink digimon and patting her on the head.

"She said she'll visit you guys whenever she gets the chance." Kenta answered.

"And you're ok with that? Isn't it dangerous for her to go all the way to Odaiba?" Jeri asked and Kenta shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't think so. She is small, so she can easily move around unnoticed and she is a mega level. She can take care of herself, can't you girl?" He asked, joining Jeri on patting her head and the digimon squeal happily.

"So… How was America? Did you have fun in the festival?" Takato asked.

"Sure did. I bought many gadgets and games in lower prices, got to try some new demos and watched many game trailers on their first public appearance. I met a lot of interesting people and some of them live here in Shinjuku... At least one does." He said and looked away from the rest, who looked at him curiously.

"Hey dude, is something wrong?" Kazu asked and Kenta jumped and turned nervously to face them. There was a bit of red on his cheeks, but the others didn't catch it.

"Nop, everything perfect, couldn't be better!" He said quickly, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously.

"Now I know something's definitely wrong! Come on, spill it out!" Kazu said and grabbed his friend from the neck, playfully rubbing the top of his head. "Why did you turn away from us and why are you so damn nervous so suddenly?" He yelled, but he was ready to burst in laughter.

"Stop it man, I'll tell you, just stop!" Kenta pleaded and Kazu, satisfied with himself released his grip. "I met this girl on the festival." He begun and all three, including Jeri who was scratching Guilmon's head, looked at him with wide eyes. "And I sort of… you know, like her." He finished.

"What? Is this really happening? Kenta is interested in a girl!" Kazu yelled and Kenta jumped on top of him, placing his hand over Kazu's head, effectively gagging him.

"That's great Kenta! Did you make a move?" Jeri asked smiling and Kenta shook his head. "Why not? Doesn't she like you back?"

"That's the problem… I don't really know. We exchanged numbers and we text each other often, but we haven't talked about anything on that matter." He said and looked down in shame.

"That's natural Kenta. It's easier to get to know the other before you actually try anything. Have you seen her ever since you got her number?" Takato asked and Kenta nodded. "Did she look bored or was she happy to see you?"

"She brightened up when she saw me… Do you think she likes me?" Kenta asked and Takato shrugged. "I don't know what to do… She lives close by and she is probably unpacking right now…" He said and sighed.

"Listen what, the next time you hang out, place your hand on her shoulder. If she removes it, things are rough, if she doesn't we are walking on the right path." Jeri said and Kenta smiled. Some murmurs averted their gazes below, where Kenta kept a gagged Kazu. He quickly removed his hand.

"Thank you." He said sarcastically and Kenta smiled apologetically. "What's her name and how does she look like?" He asked and Kenta smiled again.

"It's Violet. She has a really cute face, blue eyes, long straight brunette hair and a gorgeous smile." He said as if he was enchanted. Before anyone could comment on that though, a voice caused them to look behind.

"Are we going to stand here for a long time? If we do, I need to get my lunch." Who else, Guilmon, said and the others sweet-dropped.

000

Things finally started to look good, as the battles got less and less. The digidestined had split into teams of two and each team was responsible of subduing the fighting in a specific area. The only problem was when an Apemon was thrown into Gennai's disc and completely ruined the communication between them. Every team that successfully stopped the riot on their area, returned to Primary Village where Elecmon informed them about the rest.

"The fighting on the desert and Yokomon Village has stopped." Yolei said as she and Sora returned. Tai and Davis were already there, having taken care of the fighting in the snow-covered area.

"That's good. T.K and Matt sent digimon saying they were almost done. Since almost three teams are done, I don't think we have anything to worry about." Elecmon said.

"That's good Elecmon, but what made those digimon start fighting in the first place?" Sora asked and Elecmon shrugged.

"I don't really know. Things were peaceful when a Woodmon suddenly crashed just outside the village. After that, hell broke loose and I had to get those little ones in hiding." Elecmon said.

"What's on your mind?" Tai asked and Sora looked at him worriedly.

"I don't know Tai… I have a feeling this wasn't just an accident. I think someone started it." She said.

"Why would someone want to cause a riot? What would they gain by that?" Davis asked.

"How are we supposed to know? She said she has a feeling, not that she is sure and knows the reason." Yolei told Davis and he glared at her.

"I was just asking! Why did you have to yell at me like that?" Davis said and so begun one of the famous fights of the duo. Sora ignored them and kept thinking, while Tai sat down and waited.

"All done guys." Kari said, while Mimi removed leafs and branches from her hair and clothes. "We passed by Joe and Ken and they were helping some wounded digimon. They should be here soon."

"T.K and Matt should be on their way as well. We just have to wait for them and be on our way." Tai said and everyone sighed in relief. Ten minutes later, the other two teams entered Primary Village.

"That ended sooner than I thought. How long was it anyway?" Joe asked and T.K looked at his D-3. He gapped at it for a second and then looked back at the others.

"About five hours…" He said and there was a mix of shock and confusion.

"Has it really been that long?" Mimi asked.

"I don't think so… I'd say we were fighting for two hours tops." Matt said and looked at his digivice. "Five o'clock… Yeah, it's been five hours." Sora's suspicion grew, but before she could say anything, there was a flash of light from the nearest portal and Izzy and Cody appeared.

"We are here, how is the situation?" Izzy asked, but seemed confused when he saw everyone and their digimon, especially Joe and Mimi. "Why are you two here?" He asked them.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked even more confused.

"You came by my home and told us to come here… You said you needed me for DNA digivolution and Izzy to fix something. And you also said you'd stay back to cover for us." Just as he finished his sentence, there was a small explosion behind them.

"This is what I call a flawless plan." Apemon said as he removed his hand from the destroyed portal.

End of Chapter

This didn't go 100% as planned, but it serves its purpose. I believe you all realized that the Apemon that crashed on Gennai's disc is actually the same Apemon that talked to the shadow figure a couple of chapters back. Anyway, how many of you have realized the full length of the plan? For those of you who haven't wait till next chapter where Apemon explains what it is and how they did everything. Review please :)


	10. An Unexpected Hole

**CHAPTER 10: AN UNEXPECTED HOLE  
**

Izzy's PoV

I wonder if the others could hear the gears of my mind run like crazy. There were so many questions surfacing and I was trying to make the connections and answer them. There we stood, all twelve digidestined of Odaiba, old and new, looking that the grinning Apemon. I looked one more time at the destroyed portal and I couldn't help but wonder… Why would he do it? There were so many portals on File Island…

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tai demanded as he walked in front of the group, glaring at the ape digimon. "And what did you mean when you said 'Flawless plan'?"

"It's not that difficult to understand. We had schemed a plan, no, a plot and everything worked like a charm." Apemon said, his grin never leaving his face. That got me curious.

"If it has worked, then why don't you share it with us?" I asked and the digimon looked at me. "We are going to find out soon anyway, aren't we?"

"Of course! Let's begin with the first stage, the 'equipment'. For the plan to succeed, we needed twelve Bakemon, about twenty-five digimon ready to fight and fifteen digimon, no matter the level." He said. Fifteen… I knew this number meant something important, but I couldn't recall what. "Oh, and let's not forget a little virus." What Virus?

"I don't care about this stupid plan of his, let's just kick this guy's butt and get back home!" Davis said and got his D-3 from his pocket.

"Wait Davis. Let's hear what this plot of his is all about." T.K said and Kari nodded.

"You should listen to your friends Davis. It's in your best interest to do so." Apemon said sarcastically.

"Shut up. Just carry on with the story." Matt said. I could see that everyone was angry. Some people, like Sora and Mimi, looked a bit worried too.

"Come on, we don't need to hurry! We have all the time in the world after all, don't we?" He asked with a silly expression. For some reason, I didn't like his comment at all and I could tell Joe didn't too.

"The second part is the preparation. We needed to train those twelve Bakemon. More precisely their transformation skills. And to do that, we had to send them to your world. I'll explain more about this part later on. Next, we had to load the virus inside your computer." Apemon said looking at me. I panicked when I heard that. There was a virus in my computer?

"That's impossible! There is no way my Antivirus system would fail." But I knew it could happen. I hadn't updated it for almost a year. Now I felt really stupid.

"But it did. Don't worry; it wasn't a virus that destroys data, just an observation on." I could feel the blood leave my face. My computer was full of important information not only about the digital world, but also about the rest of the digidestined in the whole world!

"Is that bad Izzy?" Davis asked me and I turned to face him. I guess he understood from my expression, because he instantly looked worried.

"Now we go to the interesting part, the execution. Those twenty-five digimon started fights all around the island and Gennai immediately asked for your help." He said.

"But your little riot ended just a little while ago." Ken said smiling at the ape. "Your plan has failed."

"Not at all. During the battle, I was purposely thrown into the communication disc, so Gennai, therefore your friends in the real world had no news about the fight. As soon as I crashed it, the Bakemon were informed of which one of you stayed behind. If you haven't guessed yet, they studied you. So two of them transformed into your friends, each Bakemon could transform perfectly into one of you, and said the situation was dire. Do you see where this is going?" He asked and smiled evilly.

"Your plan was to get us all in the digital world, but I still don't know why. We can easily crash all of you and your friends." Yolei stated.

"But I haven't finished explaining. You seem to forget the last 'squad' I mentioned in the beginning." He said and Yolei's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, how many portals are there on File Island?" He asked and I gasped. How could I not make the connection?

"I don't know… I don't think anyone counted them…" Cody said.

"I believe your genius over there knows and realized the last part of the plan." He said.

"There are exactly fifty portals…" I said and the shock on my friend's faces was visible.

"And just when I destroyed this portal, my friends destroyed the rest. Meaning you are stuck in here till you get to server, or Gennai manages to recreate one." Apemon said with triumphant voice.

"This doesn't change anything! We are going to defeat you and all will be over." Tai said, but I knew it wasn't that simple.

"I have no doubt you will. But your problem isn't here, but in Odaiba, where my lord is now with most of his servants. Do you like to know what the first thing he is going to do is?" He asked, but no one spoke. "Kidnap your dear families. And since the rest of the digidestined aren't anywhere near Odaiba, something we know thanks to our little virus, there is no one to save them."

"You fucking bastard!" Most of the digidestined yelled before they got their digivices.

"One last thing. Remember Apocalymon's little trick, the one with the time manipulation between worlds? We found the way to do it, but in reserve. The only deference is we can do it only on a specific area and for a shot period. This conversation has lasted almost two hours. You would be wasting valuable time fighting me." He said.

"He's right, it's seven o'clock! No time for this, go find a way to contact Gennai!" T.K said and Apemon was gone, sure that we would not follow him.

000

"So this is the real world." The figure said hidden inside a ball of darkness. "It's so strange; I never thought it would be so… busy."

"Do you like it my lord? Soon, it will be all yours. And don't forget that I was the one that helped you get here in the first place." A winged digimon, resembling a bat with a round body and a skull tattoo on its forehead said.

"I know Picodevimon. Unlike your previous master, I don't forget my comrades. You will be rewarded as you deserve." The figure said and Picodevimon seemed pleased. It took him five years to be reborn and he didn't want to wait another five for the same reason.

"Should we move now my lord? When we get those damned digidestined's families, you'll be unstoppable." The bat said and the figure turned to look at him.

"It's a little too bright for my taste. We'll wait till it gets darker." The figure said.

"Then I believe I can help." A new voice said and Demidevimon turned to look at the speaker. It was a humanoid digimon with deep dark armor and helmet. He had a dark cloak with a strange crest in orange.

"Bethormon, what do you have in mind?" The figure asked and the digimon called Bethormon grinned.

"Let me use one my skills." He said and raised his hand. As soon as his hand pointed up, the sky grew darker and dark clouds gathered. "I have the power to unleash my wrath upon others in many ways. Today I do so with a light rain, just what we need to cover the sun."

"And how is causing rain a skill? I still think you are useless." Picodevimon said.

"I didn't see you having a useful ability to display." Bethormon said calmly and turned his back on Picodevimon. He bowed respectfully to the shadow and disappeared.

"What do you find in this guy? He an annoying idiot!" Picodevimon said looking at the figure.

"Don't underestimate his power Picodevimon. Not only is he strong, but his advice is also useful." The figure said and Picodevimon sighed, knowing that his lord was right.

000

"Next stop Odaiba." The voice said and the Tamers stood up from their seats. The train soon stopped and the doors opened, allowing the passengers to leave.

"This is the first time I've been here. This place is huge!" Kenta said in awe, looking around at the tall buildings. Marineangemon quickly hid inside Kenta's pocket, scared of the place.

"It's not much bigger than Shinjuku. This is the place where the malls, restaurants and hotels are, so it's pretty crowded. Where I live, it's quite and easy to relax." Takato said and Kenta nodded.

"Is it just me, or is the sky a bit too cloudy and dark?" Kazu asked, looking up.

"You're right. Looks like it's about to rain." Jeri said and as if on cue, the first drops started falling.

"Let's get under something to shield us for the rain!" Kenta said and all five (Guilmon included) run underneath a bus station.

"That's good. One of those busses stops right across my building. Let's go there and wait for the rain to stop." Takato said and the others nodded. They waited for the bus and in half an hour, they were entering Takato's apartment.

"That's a nice place you got there." Kenta said. Marineangemon left his pocket and flew around happily. "Marineangemon thinks so too."

"What do we do now?" Kazu asked, sitting on Takato's bed. "I mean, it doesn't look like the rain will end soon."

"Let's play something! What do you have Takato?" Jeri asked.

"Not much… The usual board games and cards." He said and the others grimaced. "But I do have a good game on the computer."

"What kind of game?" Kazu asked.

"One with many games. Puzzles, quiz and staff like that."

"It sounds interesting. Why don't we play?" Kenta said and the others nodded. They started and Takato started clicking every piece of the puzzle the others told him to.

"This piece goes there." Kazu said, pointing the position he thought the piece matched. Takato was about to click it when a scream made them all jump in surprise.

"What was that?" Jeri asked in alarm. Takato rushed out the apartment and into the hallway. He gasped when he saw T.K's mother struggling to get free from a Bakemon's grip.

"What the hell?" He said and the Bakemon looked at him. "Let her go!"

"Or else what you little human?" He asked.

"Or else get ready to face the consequences." He said and right then, Guilmon quickly rushed out of the apartment and slashed the Bakemon, forcing him to let T.K's mother go.

"Come here ma'am." Jeri said and led her inside the apartment.

"You don't need help to defeat this guy." Takato said and Guilmon charged again. The Bakemon extended his hands and grabbed Guilmon.

"Got you now you freak!" He said and opened his mouth, ready to either eat Guilmon, or attack him with something. He didn't have time to finish his attack as Guilmon threw a Pyrosphere right inside his mouth. His eyes grew wide before he blew up into data and was blown away.

"Good job Guilmon. Though I believe with his level, even Calumon could defeat him." Takato said and they entered the apartment. "Are you all right Ms Takaishi?" He asked.

"I am fine…" She said while supporting her head with her left hand. "Takato, is that a digimon?" She asked pointing at Guilmon. The Tamers gasped.

"You know about digimon?" Kenta asked and she nodded. "Does it have something to do with this Bakemon attacking you?"

"Yes. You see both my sons, Takeru and Matt have one as well." She said and Takato gasped again. "He wanted to kidnap me so they could force them to give up without a fight."

"That's just low!" Kazu said in anger and looked at Ms Takaishi. "Please tell me, are there other people who have digimon partners here?" He asked.

"Yeah… There are ten more kids. You don't think they are attacking their parents as well?" She asked in a mixture of shock and worry.

"Yes we do. You need to tell us how to go to them and get them somewhere safe." Jeri said.

"Wait a minute… If their children have partners, why don't they fight?" Takato asked.

"T.K left me a note saying they had to go stop some fight in the digital world… It was probably a trap." She said and shook, starting to lose her calm.

"Ok, we need to hurry. Ms Takaishi, tell me where they live. The rest of you guys get her somewhere safe and send a message where I should find you." Takato said and Ms Takaishi wrote the addresses on a piece of paper.

"I am coming with you Takato." Jeri said and Takato nodded. Kazu, Kenta and Ms Takaishi went downstairs to get Yolei and Cody's family.

"Is that normal?" Jeri asked looking around. "Where did this fog come from? And it's as if it surrounds Odaiba." Takato looked around and noticed it as well.

"I have a bad feeling about this…"

000

"Looks like you do have some use after all Picodevimon." Bethormon said. He was calm as always and he looked truthfully at the bat digimon.

"Of course I am. You know, I never expected that out of you. Looks like you are a cool guy after all." He said smiling and shook up the air in excitement, making the skull on his forehead look like laughing.

"This is better than expected. Not only the sun is gone, but with Picodevimon's idea, we have sealed the rest of the digidestined from coming in and the ones we are after inside. Good job both of you." He commented and did something unexpected… he bowed.

"Thank you my lord." Bethormon said and returned the bow. Picodevimon, stunned by his master's actions, just hovered above the ground.

"It's time to go have some fun. Picodevimon, Bethormon go wreck some havoc!" He said and the shadow around him vanished, revealing his true form.

000

"Hurry it up God damn it!" Tai yelled at Gennai in frustration. "Our parent's lives are on the line!" Gennai ignored him, continuing on his work to open the portal Blackwargreymon had blocked. He knew Tai, as well as the rest of the digidestined were worried sick and they had every right to be angry.

"Don't worry Tai, I am sure we'll get back before they get to our families." Sora tried to comfort him, but her expression gave her away. Izzy was next to Gennai, trying to help him release Blackwargreymon's dara.

"At least is there any progress?" T.K asked and placed a hand in front of him to stop Davis, who was pacing back and forth in front of him.

"We managed to get inside the portal and we have been removing the data as fast as we can, but it's taking too long." Izzy said with eyes pinned on the screen, sweating like hell.

"Can you please define 'long'?" Ken asked. He seemed calm, but his voice was a bit unstable.

"I don't know Ken… Around four hours more or less." He said.

"Can't you do something to hurry it up?" Matt asked with closed eyes to suppress his anger. "It's nerve wrecking to wait."

"That's what we are trying to do guys! And it's far more nerve wrecking to have to locate every freaking piece of data of a mega level digimon created by dark spires! So shut up for a while and don't push me!" Izzy yelled in anger.

"This isn't going to help!" Mimi said before anyone could yell back. "Fighting between us will only make things worse. I know how you feel guys; I am on the same boat as you. Let's sit down and try to be patient… Please." Everyone fell silent after her speech and she sighed.

"Thank you Mimi." Izzy said smiling in appreciation. "Now let's gather some more pieces of dark spear's data."

End of Chapter

I believe this chapter went pretty well. I got news, some good and some other that… you decide :P. First, on the next chapter the Digidestined and the Tamers meet! At least that's what I hope (:O)… If not then certainly on the one after. Second, my exams were suspended till… no date lol :P. So I might finish the next chapter soon, or not and be force to suspend it for after the suspended exams... Yeah, it makes perfect sence xD

What do you think about Bethormon? As you have guessed, I created him, or at least remade him (If he already exist something that I highly doubt).

Don't forget to review! Reviews make my day and motivate me to write faster. That reminds me, thanks a lot **10th Squad 3rd Seat**!


	11. Evil shows his face

Hello everyone, I believe the title says it all ;P

**CHAPTER 11: EVIL SHOWS HIS FACE**

"Would you mind explaining why my children and I have to follow some stranger again?" Yolei's mother asked eyeing Kazu suspiciously. It was only thanks to Mrs. Takaishi that she hadn't slammed the door or called the police. Kazu hoped Kenta was doing a better job with the other kid's family.

"We told you already, if you don't you'll be in grave danger!" Kazu said and the woman snorted.

"Please Neimi (1), we need to get out of here now!" Mrs. Takaishi tried to make her listen, but to no avail.

"Seriously Natsuko, if you don't stop this nonsense I am going to call the mental hospital and tell them to come and get you. If it is a stupid joke I suggest you drop it now!" She said in anger and almost slammed the door before another voice stopped her.

"Neimi, I suggest you do as they say." A man around sixty and a woman on her early forties walked towards them. Neimi looked at him stunned. It was clear that she respected the older man and never expected him to say that. "They are speaking the truth and if we don't do it, Cody and Yolei are going to pay the price."

"Wh…what do you mean? You can't possibly believe those lunatics!" She said but the man just nodded. "You really think we are in danger by something? That's ridiculous!" By now, every member of the family was by the door, looking around confused.

"Neimi, do you love your children?" The man asked her seriously. She was taken aback by the question and just nodded. "Then you'll follow those kids just like we will." He said and looked at her for a few moments while she was considering the 'offer'.

"I am coming with you Mr. Chikara." One of the girls said after a minute, returning with a small backpack on hand. "I don't know if those kids are lunatics as you call them mother, but Mr. Chikara isn't."

"Chizuru…" Neimi said, looking at her daughter. She signed and went back inside, returning a moment later with a small hand bag, the rest of her children behind her. The group hurried down the stairs and out of the building.

"So, do you mind telling us why we are in danger?" Mantaru, the eldest child and only son of the Inoue family asked Kazu.

"Have you ever heard about digimon?" Kazu asked looking behind his shoulder at the young man. The Inoue family looked between each other and shook their heads. "Then it's going to be difficult… Let's get somewhere safe and we'll talk about it." They split into two groups and got into Neimi's and Chikara's car, driving towards the park.

000

Takato and Jeri certainly had better luck with the rest of the families. Most of them followed as soon as they heard the story and saw Guilmon, while others just because they trusted the ones already following them. The group was pretty strange, considering there were almost a dozen adults following two teenagers.

The fog was getting thicker and thicker, as well as the rain. The streets were full of people rushing back home or seeking refuge under buildings. There were some people that looked at the fog worriedly, people of the group included. Luckily, there were no digimon attacks, at least for now.

"Hey kid, Takato, wasn't it?" A man said and Takato nodded. "You got a digimon so I guess you are a digidestined, right?" He asked and Takato nodded, even though he wasn't really one, but there wasn't much of a difference. "This fog is exactly like the one seven years ago, when one digimon forced Odaiba into a quarantine."

"And you believe that digimon is on the move again?" Takato asked thinking. "I don't know if it's really that digimon or another that follows the same tactic, but don't worry, we'll beat it anyway." He said. His phone rang and he opened the message. "The others are in a cave at the park."

"I know where it is. Let's get the Ichijouji's and head there." The man said again and they hurried on the building across the street.

000

"What's a cave doing here?" Kazu asked while running his hand through his hair to dry them up a little. "It's not very often you find a cave on a park."

"Didn't you see the sign in front?" Chizuru, the girl that was the first one to follow them said rolling her eye. "This isn't an actual cave, but a building of sorts for the parks controls."

"I was just asking, gee. Anyway, I'm sending Takato a message to tell him where we are." He said and started typing on his phone.

"Ok, now would you mind explaining?" Chizuru's sister, Mamao asked. It was clear that the Inoue family didn't really trust them.

"We know it's weird to follow some strangers telling you you're in danger. Now, you said you know nothing about digimon." Kenta said and they nodded, so he explained to them everything.

"This is insane!" Mantarou yelled. "I don't expect you Mr. Chikara to agree. I mean, being in danger is one thing, but being in danger by some computer creatures that want to take over the world? Seriously?"

"Listen here man!" Kazu said standing up and facing him. "We went through all this trouble to get you here and save your hide. If you think we are joking you are free to leave this cave or building or whatever crap the thing is; it's your choice. But when the Bakemon get you don't you dare ask me or my friends to come to the rescue."

"Give us some proof that those creatures exist. And don't tell Mrs. Takaishi or Mr. Chikara to tell us as they do as proof!" Momoe, said. (2)

"If you want proof look behind you." Kazu said in anger and the Inoue family looked in confusion and jumped back in surprise. "Say hi to Marineangemon, Kenta's partner. She is small, cute and can't hurt a fly, aside from the others that are coming for you." The Inoue's looked at the small digimon and sat down in shock.

"This creature is a digimon?" Neimi asked and Kenta nodded. Then, she seemed to remember something. "You said that if we don't follow those kids Cody and Yolei will pay the price. What did you mean?" She asked Chikara

"Yolei and Cody have been around digimon for almost four years now. It will be hard to believe but Yolei is fighting digimon using one of her own." Chikara said and the Inoue family gasped.

"I don't think you should say any more. Yolei is the only one that can explain the rest." Kazu said. He was sitting at the edge of the 'cave' with his arms crossed and looked at the fog. Chizuru looked at him strangely. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"You said this little cute thingy is Kenta's partner. What about you, do you have one?" She asked.

"Yeah, but he's hard to move around. I've left him back on Shinjuku." He said and the girl just nodded.

"So..." She said and continued the conversation.

000

"Everyone's gone?" The digimon said. He was about twice the size of an adult human with dark skin and long, dark metallic enhanced arms with sharp claws. His chest and legs were covered with a silver metallic plate. He had a pair of dark-skinned wings with a silver skeleton pointed at the edges. Finally, the upper part of his head was covered by a dark helmet.

"Yes my lord… The Bakemon that were assigned to capture them have returned empty-handed. We are waiting for the last one that was assigned the special kid's family." Bethormon said.

"There is no way all of them are away… Someone must have informed them. Quickly, unleash our forces!" The digimon said and Bethormon bowed before leaving. "I never expected this…" He sighed. Just then, the device in front of him vibrated.

"My lord." A hologram appeared above the device. "The digidestined are trying to reopen the gate Blackwargreymon sealed and I fear they will succeed." The digimon growled.

"How long do you think it'll take them? Things aren't going smoothly here."

"I don't know… But they will be there before midnight, that's for sure." Apemon said.

"That's about six hours from now! Damn it all, I thought the plan was flawless!" He cursed and started taking deep breaths to calm down. "They knew we were coming… Every Bakemon minus one have returned with nothing."

"Do you want me to attack them my lord? I can gather some digimon and buy you some time, half an hour, maybe a whole if we can hold."

"No. One hour won't do us any good. Be ready to follow them as soon as they open the portal. Join us and we will launch a full-fledged attack."

"As you wish my lord." Apemon said and broke the connection.

000

Takato was glad they managed to reach the park before the attacks started. As soon as they entered the safety of the trees, champion level digimon appeared and caused havoc everywhere. Takato told Jeri to see them safely in the cave and he left the park with Guilmon. He crossed the road unnoticed inside the running crowd and when he did, he let Guilmon loose.(3)

"Digi-modify… Digievolution activate!" He said slicing the blue card through his D-Ark.

"Guilmon digivolve to… Growlmon!" Guilmon said as pieces of skin/data were ripped from him and rearranged themselves, creating a new digimon at least three times the size of his rookie form.

"Go buddy, smoke them!" Takato yelled and Growlmon charged against a Snimon. The Snimon was thrown into a street light but recovered almost instantly and charged Growlmon with greater speed that he could handle. Growlmon barely parried the other digimon's sword-like claws with his side blades. Before the clash was turned into a contest of strength, which favored Growlmon, the Snimon jumped high in the air.

"Digi-modify… Hyper Speed activate!" Takato said slicing the second card on his D-Arc. This time, when Snimon attacked thinking it would use its speed to slash Growlmon on the back, it was surprised to see its opponent dive below the attack and slamming on its chest, sending it flying again.

"Pyroblaster!" Growlmon yelled and fired a huge blast of fiery energy at Snimon, causing an explosion. Snimon fell and before it hit the ground was evaporated into data. Growlmon used his paw to lift Takato on his back and rushed towards the nearest opponent. Takato jumped from his back and his phone rang.

"Takato, what's going on?" Kenta asked worried from the other line. "Are digimon attacking?"

"Yeah, don't worry; it's only champions, nothing Growlmon can't handle." He said while watching Growlmon fight a Triceramon.

"That's good to hear. Listen up, something we were wondering, the Bakemon that attacked Mrs. Takaishi came before schedule. That's the reason no digimon attacked the rest of the families."(4)

"That answered one question but now is completely useless. Do you have any useful information?" He asked.

"Only one thought. Since the parents of the other chosen children are in hiding and the kids don't know it, the enemy might use it. So we have two choices, defeat their leader before they appear or find them before the enemy does."

"I'll see what I can do. If they do appear, do we know the exact location?" Kenta talked to someone on the other line and returned to the phone.

"If they do, they will on the Highton View Terrace." He said.

"I am counting on you and Marineangemon to keep everyone safe." Takato told him before closing the phone. Growlmon just defeated the Triceramon when Takato turned to him

"We have a destination buddy, let's go!" He said and climbed Growlmon. As they rushed, they didn't notice the digimon standing on top of a nearby building.

"Looks like there was an error on that Izzy kid's computer. There was one digidestined inside Odaiba." Bethormon said with interest. "There is more than meets the eye on that pair." He said to himself before following them

000

"Everyone, you got to see this!" Izzy said in shock and was immediately surrounded by the rest of the digidestined. On the screen of his laptop stood a shadowy figure that threatened to disappear any moment. That didn't make it difficult to understand who the figure was.

"Blackwargreymon!" Agumon said in joy.

"Agumon..." The 'digimon' said with a low voice, full of static. "Wh...ou...doing?" He asked.

"What are you talking about? We can't understand a thing!" Tai said.

"What are...ing?" He asked again.

"I think he means 'What are you doing?'." Sora said. Izzy nodded and turned back to the screen.

"We are trying to open the portal, we need to get back to the Real World as soon as possible and all the other portals are destroyed." He said and Blackwargreymon stayed silent for a moment.

"I ca...pen the por...f you wan...to." He said. Some people looked confused but Izzy smiled.

"Yeah Blackwargreymon, that'll be great." He said and the figure of the digimon nodded before bursting into data and scattering.

"Good luck." Blackwargreymon said as his data disappeared.

"The portal is open!" Said Gennai and all the digidestined leaped into it immediately, ready to face whatever happened on the other side.

000

T.K's PoV

As soon as we entered the portal, I felt relief wash over me. I knew that we might be too late to prevent them from taking our parents, but at least we were back sooner than they expected. At least I hoped so...

"We're back guys!" Sora said and we quickly got up (We still hadn't gotten used to landing on our feet). This part of the city wasn't harmed much, just a couple of trees were crushed on the road.

"Hello, hello!" A voice said, surprising us all. I looked up and saw a devilish digimon covered in metal. He was hovering above us, but the strange thing is that his wings didn't move at all.

"Who are you?" Davis demanded. The digimon smiled slyly and descended to the ground.

"Oh right, where are my manors? I am Metaldevimon, nice to meet you." He said, his sly smile still in place. I narrowed my eyes. It couldn't be Devimon... could it? (5)

"Are you the one behind the attacks?" Tai asked, taking a step forward.

"But of course!" Metaldevimon said and moved his hands like saying 'what did you expect?'.

"Why did you do it?" I asked and the digimon turned to look at me. For a fragment of a second, his face was full of anger, but then it vanished and his smile appeared again.

"Why do you think I did it?" He asked me.

"Revenge." I said and Metaldevimon grinned. "You may have covered yourself in armor, but you are still the same bastard inside Devimon!" I yelled in hate and everyone gasped. I could feel the anger rise inside of me and my hands shake. In front of me stood the bastard that once made me think Patamon was dead. I could still remember the anguish and pain I felt, the flaw of tears running down my cheeks.

"Thank you very much T.K." He said and I got my D-3 out, ready to turn him back into digital dust. He thought he would get his revenge but he was wrong. I would be the one to do it! I would kill him and finally be free of the hate that rushed through my veins like poison every time Patamon evolved into Angemon.

"T.K, calm down!" Matt said placing a hand on my shoulder. I didn't shake it off, but I didn't stop either.

"Sorry Matt." I said and walked forward. "Metaldevimon, get ready to get back to where you came from!" I yelled and was about to make Patamon evolve before a cry from behind stopped me.

"Mom!" Sora yelled and I looked back in shock. On top of a buiding, guarded by Picodevimon and some other digimon, where some people tied and gagged. My heart skipped a bit when I saw my parents. Next to the I recognized Sora's and Davis's mother, Tai and Kari's parents, Yolei's sister and some others, all family members of the other digidestined.

"I suggest you don't attack if you want them back alive. I also suggest you surrender your digivices, crests and D-Terminals." Metaldevimon said and I turned to look at the others. Things were bad. I couldn't attack and get my parents and all the others killed, but I couldn't give my D-3 and D-Terminal to Metaldevimon.

"What are we gonna do?" Yolei asked, eyeing her sister with worry. She looked right on the verge of tears.

"We don't have much choice... I can't be responsible for the death of my mother..." Sora said and looked down in defeat. Everyone in the group looked the same, but I wasn't. I know it's selfish of me, but one glance at the digimon in front of me made me furious I couldn't think clearly.

"T.K..." Matt said and I looked at his pained expression. "Don't do it. It's not only our parents we're talking about." I looked around me one more time and it pained me to see my friends so devastated. I nodded and we were about to give him our digivices, D-3's and D-Terminals, when a yell made us look back.

"Don't do it!" Takato yelled and I blinked. Takato was coming towards us with great speed... on top of a dinosaur? I soon realized the dinosaur was actually a digimon, but I never knew Takato was a digidestined!

"Takato?" Cody asked, since he was the first to recover.

"Those aren't your families, they are Bakemon transformed!"

End of Chapter

(1): The name of Yolei's mother in never announced, so I gave her a random one.

(2): They are using Natsuko's last name cause they aren't really familiar with her. Chikara on the other hand is Cody's grandfather and Yolei's family know him from before the second season started.

(3): They crossed the road so none of the attackers realized they came from there. Even though it was useless since it was only Snimon and he sort of... died :P

(4): The special case is of course T.K. The Bakemon was too nervous about failing so he went sooner than expected.

(5): I don't think there is any official digimon named Metaldevimon, so I am using him as OC.

And so the digidestined meet the tamers! This was a REALLY difficult chapter to write. I didn't know what to do with Kazu and Kenta talking to Yolei and Cody's families and in the end I had only one conversation between Takato and a member of the dididestined families (which was actually Tai and Kari's father :P). There were also so many characters to work with and it frustrated me a lot... Anyway, Review please!


	12. Heaven and Hell

Hello everyone, sorry for the REALLY long update, but things have been pretty busy. I have placed all my stories on hiatus on my profile, but I knew I couldn't just have them there forever. This story is my greatest success and I don't want to lose my fans(my story's fans to be honest). There might be some errors since I realized that at the end of the dialog you put a ',' and not a '.' as well as some other things… Anyway, enjoy!

**CHAPTER 12: HEAVEN AND HELL**

"What are you idiots doing? Attack while they are still stunned!" Metaldevimon yelled at the dumbstruck digimon in frustration and he himself charged towards Takeru Takaishi and Patamon. To his dismay, before anyone could get close enough to cause damage, the newcomer digimon sent a fire ball and destroyed the closest Bakemon, scaring the rest and snapping the digidestined out of their stupor.

"It's true, our parents turned into Bakemon!" Tai yelled and quickly turned to Agumon. The dinosaur blinked, but then nodded to his partner.

"Agumon digivolve to... Greymon!" The light of evolution covered Agumon and when it faded, Greymon stood defensively in front of the digidestined. Metaldevimon growled and stopped his progress.

"You better hurry and digivolve too, if you want a share of those guys," Greymon yelled before charging forward and slamming on the first digimon he saw, which was a Minotarumon. The champion was hurled into a Musyamon, sending them both to the ground. Greymon followed with a Nova Blast attack, evaporating both digimon immediately.

"That's it Greymon, kill two birds with one stone!" Tai cheered and Greymon grinned at him. Big mistake! A laser beam from a Tuskmon hit him in the back of his head causing him to slam head first in the ground.

"Backup's on the way," Matt said and exchanged a look with Gabumon. The wolf charged forward and was enveloped in a great light.

"Gabumon digivolve to... Garurumon!" The great wolf appeared and joined the battle. The rest of the digidestined soon followed, making the square a small battlefield. The only ones that hadn't joined the battle yet were T.K, Patamon and Metaldevimon, who were apparently having a staring contest.

"Looks like your little plan failed," T.K said coldly at the metal covered demon. His hands were clenched into fists, with so much pressure that they had turned white.

"It did indeed," The metallic demon replied coldly, but the bitterness was evident in his voice. "But that doesn't mean I lost, the war has just begun after all," A smirk made its way on his lips before he descended to the ground.

"Of course it has, but there's something else on my mind. I will take a wild guess. You want to crush Patamon and I to get revenge for stopping your plan for world domination back on File Island," T.K said and looked at Patamon. The winged pig understood and took off, stopping in front of the blond.

"Yeah. Now it's my turn to guess. You too want revenge from taking your partner away and causing you, as an eight years old kid so much pain. I made a not-so-pretty scar on your childhood," Metaldevimon said and started walking towards T.K and Patamon.

"I am glad you figured it out. Now we can skip the explanation and get to the point," T.K said and Patamon launched forward.

"Patamon digivolve to... Angemon!" The scene would be terrifying for anything 'evil'. A shower of blinding light emanating from the charging angelic figure of Angemon, straight towards Metaldevimon.

"Now we're talking!" Metaldevimon said with a twisted smile and crossed his hands above his head, successfully blocking the angel's staff. Before Angemon could jump back, Metaldevimon punched him in the stomach with his right hand. Angemon groaned but managed to stop the kick that followed and twist Metaldevimon ankle, causing the digimon to lose his balance and fall. He tried to pin his staff on his enemy's chest, but Metaldevimon rolled on his back as soon as he fall and landed on his feet.

"Is that all you got? If you keep like that you'll lose to a champion. I don't think that'll help with your reputation and all," Angemon said, bringing his staff in front of him like a sword. T.K could feel the adrenaline flow through his veins, despite the fact he wasn't the one battling. He could feel himself there, attacking his worst enemy.

"Nah, I am just getting started, you know, warm up and everything," The demon said smirking and brought his hand forward, where a small piece of his armor opened to reveal a dark missile. "Say hi to my little 'friend'!" He said and the missile was shot towards the angel.

"Hi!" Angemon said and used his staff to throw the missile out of course, exploding in mid air. "I believe your 'friend' just said 'Goodbye'," He said with a grin and the devil growled.

"You are right. I promise my other 'friends' will greet you back!" He said and multiple places on his body moved, sending various missiles and bullets towards the angel. Angemon quickly took off to the sky, evading all the bullets and most of the missiles. He spun his staff, creating a small shield against the remaining missiles. When the last missile exploded harmlessly, Angemon heard T.K's warning and barely escaped Metaldevimon's claws. He flew backwards, opening some distance between them.

"That was a little better. But now it's time to get serious!" He said and gripped his staff with both arms, which started shrinking. "You know what comes next, don't you?" He asked and Metaldevimon nodded with a twisted grin. "Then try to get away from it, Hand of Fate!" He yelled and shot a fist forward, unleashing the holy energy with great speed. Metaldevimon crossed his hands in front of him and the metal opened, creating a dark metallic shield, emanating dark energy. The blast hit the shield and an explosion followed. When the smoke cleared, the shield was shattered, but Metaldevimon was barely harmed.

"I have to hand it to you; this shield was crafted by Digizoid and infused with my dark energy. It's quite a fit to scratch it, let alone destroy it," Metaldevimon said, his face serious and dark. "I believe we have played enough," He removed his belt and it started transforming. It wasn't round anymore and sparks were flying all over. When the ember died down, the belt was a straight sharp handless blade.

"Any final words?" He asked as he slowly approached the stunned angel. Angemon could feel the dark aura around the devilish digimon strengthen and was starting to get worried. T.K was aware of it too, because he looked skeptical at the blade.

"T.K, it's time for DNA Digivolution!" Cody suddenly yelled, shifting the attention of all three to him. "Go Ankylomon!" The four legged dinosaur charged forward and Angemon descended, gladly accepting the help.

"Ankylomon... Angemon... DNA Digivolve to... Shakkoumon!" The two digimon crashed against each other in a bright flash. When the light disappeared, the robotic-like angel stood tall in front of his opponent who let a frustrated yell.

The devil stopped his advance and eyed the merged digimon. He looked around him and noticed the digidestined were now in a great advantage; most of the digimon he had brought with him were destroyed and the remaining looked exhausted or passed out. He knew that soon, all of them would be defeated and the digidestined would all turn against him. He hadn't anticipated he would lose so easily and he had rushed as soon as he heard his plan was falling apart.

"Retreat!" He finally yelled at them and they looked at him in shock. "Do you want to get destroyed? Then retreat!" The digimon turned around and quickly headed back towards the bridge. The digidestined were shocked at the command of the demon. It was so unlike him to show compassion.

"They are leaving... and you are still here," Tai said with narrowed eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be the first one to leave?"

"How can I leave when my army stays behind? I have to stay and make sure they escape safely," Metaldevimon said smirking, causing the digidestined to blink in confusion. "I have learned from my mistakes. If your army thinks you care, they'll fight fiercely."

"That's a good strategy," commented Izzy to T.K's annoyance. "I am just saying that he has a good point," He quickly added, seeing T.K's glare.

"Do you accept defeat?" T.K asked, piercing the dark android with a glare. He wanted to destroy him and nothing was going to stop him.

"No chance child of Hope," Metaldevimon said growling. He too was glaring at his opponent, but started flying above the ground. "This isn't the last you see of me. You just got lucky and the kid over there saved you. Next time we have a battle, you'll be unable to do anything but watch as I destroy your partner and your friends!" As soon as he was finished, he turned around and followed his minions.

"Good riddance!" Yolei yelled after him. T.K turned around and looked at Takato, soon followed by everyone else did. He seemed a little uncomfortable with the stares, but he waved his hand anyway.

"Hey guys, guess I arrived right on time," He said and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Just next to him, stood a red dinosaur like digimon with a white belly and black marks all over his body, but mostly on his head and stomach.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Tai said and grinned, extending his hand. "I am Taichi, but call me Tai. I am Kari's brother," Takato smiled and shook his hand. "Next we have Matt, T.K's brother, Sora, Mimi, Joy and Izzy," He said pointing on each of them.

"Nice to meet you guys. I am Takato and this is Guilmon," Takato said and patted his partner who smiled childishly at the rest.

"You said that our parents are ok, right?" Izzy asked and Takato nodded. "Can you lead us to them? We'll be unable to focus while we are worried about them," The genius said and Takato smiled.

"Sure. Things have settled down a bit since the enemy retreated, so the ride back will be eventless." The brunette said and started walking towards the park, followed by the rest of the digidestined. No one noticed the digimon watching from the shadows of a building.

"This is interesting," He said and turned around, towards the direction Metaldevimon retreated.

000

"Can you please explain to me why we had to come here since that cutie could create a shield like that?" A man asked. A couple of champions had found them and were now trying to penetrate Marineangemon's bubble shield.

"Marineangemon's shield is really powerful. It can prevent attacks from the strongest digimon out there, but she isn't powerful enough to maintain one that big for a long time," Kenta said and the man nodded.

"Damn it! The attacks or the fog are messing up my signal, I can't get through," Kazu said returned his cell phone back to his pocket. "Maybe you should switch to attack Kenta".

"I can't do that, it's not just six or seven people as usual. If I remove the shield, then someone's bound to get hurt," he replied and placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Although I could do that," he placed a hand on his belt and pulled out his cards and D-Arc.

"What are you planning?" Kazu asked him curiously and looked as he searched through his cards. "Wow, when did you get all those?" He questioned in wonder. Kenta grinned before answering.

"The festival had many stands. One of them sold unique games from around the world, including digimon cards. I got to buy some awesome ones and that's also where I met Violet," he said and blushed lightly, but soon came across the card he was searching for.

"What kind of card is this, I haven't seen it before," Kazu said and bent a bit lower to read. "Dark Duplicate. Don't tell me it does what I think it does!" He exclaimed in shock and wonder. Kenta just grinned once more and stood up.

"Digi-modify… Dark Duplicate activate!" He yelled while slashing the card and Marineangemon made a weird sound. Everyone stood in shock as a subtle light, the same size and shape of Marineangemon, slowly appeared. The light started getting brighter and brighter and everyone was forced to cover their eyes.

"This is awesome!" Someone from the group said. Next to the pink Marineangemon, who was also looking with wide eyes, a dark colored Marineangemon stood. She looked at Kenta and brought her small hand on her head as if saluting him.

"Hello, err…, Dark Marineangemon," Kenta said, not really knowing how to call her, but the digimon just nodded "ok, we need some help with those digimon over there," he pointed at the attacking champions "and Marineangemon is a bit busy protecting us. Do you mind lending a hand?"

"Oui!"(1) She cheered and jumped out of the bubble. The champions, a couple of Dokugumon, were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the small dark blur, as she crashed on the first one, sending it high in the air. Before it even reached the pick of its ascend, the second Dokugumon was shot upwards. For the split second they reached the same height, one falling, the other ascending, Dark Marineangemon, or rather, it's blur, tore through both their torso's, causing them to explode into data like two white fireworks.

"Did that really happen?" Kenta asked, his jaw to the ground and his eyes watching the dark version of Marineangemon as she danced in the air. The whole battle had taken less than ten seconds.

"I think it did," Kazu confirmed, his jaw keeping company to Kenta's. Dark Marineangemon stopped dancing, gave them a wholehearted smile and disappeared into black smoke.

End of Chapter

(1): Not 'yes' in French, just a happy cheer :P

It's been quite some time since I updated last and I had to re-read some parts I wasn't sure if I had included or left for later in the story (like for example, if Kenta had told the rest about Violet or not :P), but if there are some mistakes, please feel free to tell me and I'll correct them. Sorry for the long wait, I hope I can update the next chapter soon, but for now Review!


	13. Counterattacking

Hello everyone! I know it's been a long time since I last update and I am sorry, but I had good reasons. I'll simply say I found a full time job on my father, who left me little free time and one day there, I sort of mutilated a part of my left hand's little finger. It was impossible to write with only one hand (Since the other was battered with bandages), but now I am ok and back in action (a bit crippled, but who cares! :D). I really missed this story, so I'll devote most of my free time on it, but for now enjoy!

**CHAPTER 13: COUNTERATTACKING  
**

The small 'cave' in the park became too crowded when Takato and the digidestined arrived. To make things even more difficult, there was a weird awkwardness hanging around. The younger digidestined, whose parents had learned about digimon that day, were greeted by awestricken faces and long pauses. Cody's family was the only one that seemed out of either shock or awkwardness. Yolei was explaining everything he could at her family and Izzy was helping her. Ken and Davis were talking to both their parents together with the exact opposite attitude. Ken was calm and talked normal, while Davis sort of freaked out and fast. Takato walked towards Kazu and Kenta.

"Look at all those digimon… There are some pretty powerful too," Kenta said and both Kazu and Takato nodded. "Did you find the digimon behind this?" He asked and Takato nodded seriously.

"It was an evolution of Devimon, nothing we can't handle. I could have defeated him on the spot," He said and looked at T.K. The Tamers looked at him confused, but he didn't notice.

"So why didn't you?" Kazu asked, still confused about his friend's reasoning.

"Do you see the guy with the blonde hair over there? The younger one," he said pointing at T.K, who was sitting with Matt and their mother. They nodded, prompting Takato to continue "He appears to have a grudge against Devimon. I want him to be the one to take care of him and I will do everything I can to help him do it".

"Are you sure about that?" Kenta asked worriedly "I mean, you of all people should know what anger can cause".

"I'll be there Kenta. If he goes there, I'll make sure to stop him before he does something he regrets," Takato said and the three fell silent. Sometime later, Takato realized something "Say, where's Jeri?"

"To tell you the truth, we didn't see her leave. One of the guys over there," Kazu said pointing at the man sitting next to Ken and Davis, "told us she said she had something to do and left. I wouldn't be that worried though, since she knows how to protect herself".

"What is she up to," Takato thought out loud. Jeri wasn't the secretive type… well, not so much that is. For a moment, he thought of going looking for her, but he knew he had to stay there and be sure T.K didn't cause a dark digivolution.

"Takato, can you guys come over there?" Tai asked as he approached the trio, pointing at the place where Izzy and Joe were leaning on the wall "We need to discuss about something".

"Sure, I also think we have a couple of things to clear out" Takato said and they all joined the two original digidestined.

Izzy looked at the approaching teens with interest. All three of them looked so carefree, like this crisis was a minor setback they would soon overcome. If he was sure for one thing, those three were not your average digidestined. They had definitely had their fair share of dangerous and exciting adventures. He examined all of them as they stopped in front of him and by the looks of it, Takato was most likely the leader, so he addressed to him.

"Hello guys I am Izzy, nice to meet you" He said and the others greeted him back "As I presume, Takato has already told you about Metaldevimon, " he said and the others nodded "Before we start our counter attack, I need to know about your numbers and your capabilities. I will then inform you briefly of our previous encounters with Devimon and we'll proceed with a plan"

000

Ai and Mako's mother used to find disturbing the relationship her children had with the six year older kids. She didn't know why those kids would want to spend time with the twins, but over time she got over it. She had gotten used to their visits by now, so she wasn't the least surprised to find Rika at her doorstep. She was actually glad for that, since she had to go and didn't want to leave them alone without someone to watch over them.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they behave," Rika told her before she sat down next to the twins. The mother left twenty minutes later, so Impmon finally left his hiding place below the bed and stretched. Ai, Mako and himself did a great job at hiding his existence all those years.

"I thought she'd never leave!" He complained and sat down. He sensed the worried looks of the three tamers and rolled his eye "I believe it's time we leave my stupid nightmares behind, I am already over them".

"Are you sure? I mean, you haven't been yourself for more than a week," Rika said, crossing her arms "and don't forget we suspect those nightmares may be memories".

"I wouldn't be that worried. It took me a while, but I am back to my senses and have realized that whatever happens, I have changed," he said full of determination "Even if those Demon Losers decide to make a move, I'll stand up against them and I am more powerful than I was back then. Don't forget that you three can also biomerge and fight them as well, we can't lose".

"I am glad you feel that way Impmon. When they come, we can come with you and kick their…" Mako started, but both Rika and Impmon shot him a glare "butts?" He said uncertain and they smiled.

"We'll see Mako, if things aren't really dangerous, you can come," Impmon said and Rika nodded, but Ai and Mako were furious.

"Things were really dangerous when you were in the digital world!" Ai said passionately, her brother nodding furiously, looking like one of those miniature figures with the spiral connecting the head "Suzie was younger than us when she joined you there. We will not stay behind this time, ok?"

"You do have a point there," Impmon said, still shocked from her outburst.

"Don't forget that she didn't participate in the battle against the D-Reaper," Rika reminded them, causing both twins to pout "You were the ones that brought her up. You can't just take into account only what's on your best interest and forget the rest".

"She has a better point there!" Impmon said grinning wildly at Rika, who rolled her eye in amusement.

Time passed really fast for the four friends. They watched cartoons on the TV, which caused a wave of nostalgia wash over Rika (even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone), they played digimon cards with Rika losing on purpose and after getting permission from the twins' mother, they headed for the park, where they met up with Henry and Suzie.

"Ai, Mako!" Suzie said excitedly and hugged them both tight "I haven't seen you in days! You too Impmon, how are you?" She asked and hugged the imp as well, causing him to blush.

"I'm back and ready to prank someone!" He said grinning and started pumping his gloved fists. Suddenly he froze and turned around, climbed a tree and stared in the horizon. Henry and Rika shared a worried look and went closer, followed by an equally worried Suzie, while Ai and Mako just looked confused.

"You know you are looking towards Odaiba, right?" Henry rhetorically asked and the imp nodded.

"What's the matter Impmon? Do you feel something we don't?" Terriermon asked from Henry's shoulder "Or did you just smell food?" He asked, earning a serious glare from Henry.

"It's true though," Renamon commented as she appeared next to Impmon "I don't feel anything. What's the matter Impmon?"

"I don't really know," He said after a long pause "It's like something's calling…"

"Something or someone?" Rika asked having a bad feeling. First he gets weird dreams and after that he feels someone calling him. Someone that neither Renamon, nor Terriermon do.

"I think it's a digimon, but what worries me is that its presence greatly prompts two things; evil and power. Right now though, it's weakened, probably around champion or ultimate level".

"If it's only that, Takato and Guilmon will take care of it, right? I mean, they are the strongest of the Tamers and they can also change to Crimson Mode" Suzie said, asking for confirmation that her friends and comrades would be fine.

"Of course they will," Rika said smiling "Personally I don't think there's anyone stronger that those two. If Takato gets serious, he gets stronger than the rest of the Tamers together," She said exaggerating a bit, but Henry nodded seriously, his nod passing unseen by the rest. He knew that if Takato was serious and really desperate, he could defeat not only the Tamers combined, but maybe even the Sovereigns. He snapped out of his thoughts when his phone started ringing.

"Hey dad," He answered and his eyes widened "What do you mean by that?" He asked in shock, earning confused and worried look by the rest "Ok we're coming, see you there," He said and disconnected the call.

"What happened?" Asked Rika and Henry looked gravely at her.

"Odaiba was cut off from the rest of the world".

000

"Ok everyone, here's the plan," Izzy called, gaining the attention of everyone inside the cave "First of all, Kenta and Marineangemon will stay here and defend our parents," That statement though, wasn't received very well.

"You can't be serious. We are not letting our children go straight to danger while we are here, safe and sound!" Yolei's mother said, earning nods from most of the younger digidestined's parents.

"Don't worry young man, I'll take care of them," Chikara said and he glared, silencing them immediately. He then proceeded to explain the situation, leaving Izzy to resume.

"The rest will split into three teams, each team having a vital mission. I'll be leading the first into sending as many digimon as we can back to digital world. To do that, I'll need one of the younger digidestined and four more, in other words our team will be consisted of six people. Any volunteers?" As soon as the words left him, Mimi stepped forward.

"I believe it's best to have two DNA partners in case we run into trouble," Joe said and joined the two "I'd say we take Davis and Ken, since they can handle the pressure".

"You can count on us!" Davis cheered and he grabbed Ken in a headlock, dragging him to Izzy.

"I'll be the last one then," Yolei said and grabbed Ken by the elbow while winking, the later smiling.

"Now that this is settled, let me explain about the second team. As most of us already know, Devimon doesn't play fair. He uses every trick he has on his sleeve before he finally confronts his enemies. He did just that seven years ago on File Island and I believe he'll do it again now""

"So what you suggest is we form a team ready to counterattack his subtle plans and let the third team to deal with him, right?" Tai asked and Izzy nodded.

"Wow Tai, I'm impressed, I never thought you knew words like subtle!" Sora joked and everyone laughed, even Tai.

"Back to the point, the one that's gonna lead the last team is definitely…" Tai started but was interrupted by T.K.

"That would be me," He said and everyone fell silent "And I also want Kari on my team. Our crests were always the strongest against digimon like him".

"Ok then T.K, you take Metaldevimon and Kari, and I take your defense squad. Now let's organize the rest of the group," Tai said.

"I'm going with T.K, ok?" Takato asked and the rest looked unsure, but T.K grinned and made a 'thumbs up'.

"Then Matt, Sora and Cody are with me," Tai said and the teams gathered together.

"Tai and T.K remember your mission. T.K, you'll probably stall Metaldevimon till we join and we take him down. Everyone ready?" Izzy asked and everyone cheered before leaving.

"Take care Kenta! If Jeri returns tell her to stay put and wait for me," Takato said and Kenta nodded.

"DigiArmor Energize!" Almost all the younger digidestined yelled and their digimon changed into their armor level.

"Takato let's go together, we'll reach faster if we fly," T.K said and the two mounted Pegasusmon and followed Kari and Nefertimon "Let's do it!"

000

Things were looking good for Izzy's team. Paildramon was easily swinging and shooting digimon towards Izzy and his laptop with a one-way ticket to the digital world. Kabuterimon and Shurimon were a great tag team, with Kabuterimon grabbing and tossing them to Shurimon who used his flexible limbs to catch them mid air and throw them inside. Togemon was just running around punching whatever was on her way, hoping to send them into the portal and Ikkakumon tackled them inside.

"One more digimon flying around in the laptop down it goes!" Yolei sang and punched imaginary foes.

"If this keeps up, we'll join the rest soon enough," Ken said and Izzy nodded. It seemed easy, too easy for his liking, but he had to trust Tai's team to take care of things in that domain.

Speaking of Tai, they had already intercepted all the attacks against T.K's team thus far. All four of his team were on guard, ready to counterattack anything Metaldevimon sent against them. They were close to him and Tai could see his calm face, something that meant trouble for them.

"You are losing this war Metaldevimon!" T.K said confidently. While the battle was raging all around them, T.K's team was still standing there, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon having reverted back and ready to evolve in their angelic evolutions..

"What are you talking about? I believe the tides are about to turn," Metaldevimon said and smirked. T.K looked around and a sinking feeling washed over him as he realized what he meant. Four portals had opened and the tip of a tower was seen rising from each one.

"Not Dark Spires!" He cursed loudly and turned towards Tai's team just in time to see the shock on their faces as their digimon dedigivolved back to rookies.

"What's happening?" Takato asked in confusion. He didn't understand why the digimon were dedigivolving, but he was sure it had something to do with the towers T.K identified as Dark Spires.

"You need to destroy those spires Cody! T.K, Kari hold Metaldevimon and the rest, we are useless now!" Tai yelled in anger and followed Cody towards the closest tower.

"You need to get back Takato, only Armor evolution is useful when Dark Spires are around. They somehow mess with our digivices and prevent normal evolution," T.K said and once again he and Kari called the power of their digi-eggs and Pegasusmon and Nefertimon appeared before the metallic devil. Takato looked at his D-Ark and then at T.K's and for a first time, he realized they were different. 'Then maybe…' he thought as he pulled out a card and it turned blue. Champio was not enough, he needed some real firepower.

"Get ready Guilmon!" He yelled and brought forward his D-Ark and blue card.

"Digi-modify… Matrix Digievolution activate!"

"Guild Matrix Digivolve to…"

Opposing parties, humans and digimon, good and evil were surprised by the loud roar of the dinosaur as he was covered inside a digital shell only to appear moments later as a grown dinosaur. But that was not the end, as data gathered around him and formed into metallic armor that covered his body.

"WarGrowlmon!"

"Looks like your Dark Spires don't work on us. WarGrowlmon Atomic Blaster!" Takato yelled and everyone gasped at the sheer power that was shot towards Metaldevimon. The villain was so shocked, that he barely evaded the blast with a flesh wound which made him scream in pain.

"What the hell?!" He asked clutching his sides, where the metal had melted like ice cream "That's impossible, who the hell are you?"

"Someone stalling you till those guys bring down your towers," Takato said with a serious expression "We could easily destroy you on the spot, but…"

"You're not ours to defeat," WarGrowlmon finished and both tamer and digimon smirked.

"Either way, you and your charade are going down!" They both yelled at the same time.

**End of Chapter**

Nothing else to say! Oh yeah, please review ;)


	14. Devil May Cry

This chapter is going to swap between T.K's and Takato's PoV. I know PoVs can be really confusing, but I want to express two sides of the battlefield at the same time. Also **HAPPY SECOND ANNIVERSARY!**

**CHAPTER 14: DEVIL MAY CRY  
**

T.K's PoV

Things were pretty simple; Takato used some sort of card on his digivice, Guilmon evolved into his ultimate and he shot a beam of sorts, so powerful, that it made Metaldevimon scream in the process…. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! He not only ignored the Dark Spires, but he also turned into ultimate. Didn't he say he could reach only champion?

"Now's your chance to destroy those tower," Takato told me and Kari "I'll stall him till you do".

"But with that kind of power you can easily defeat him," Kari said confused. Takato looked at me and smiled, motioning for us to go. He had probably picked up the grudge I was holding against Metaldevimon.

"Come on Kari, let's destroy those spires and get the rest of the digidestined back in the game!" I said, grabbing her hand and running towards the closest spire that Cody and Digmon were already attacking.

"Let's bring down those annoying spires!" Davis yelled from Raidramon's back as they passed above us, heading for the tower opposite of the one we were running just now, "Hurry up or you'll miss the fun!" He cheered and started his attacks on the Dark Spire.

"DigiArmor Energize!" I yelled and soon Kari followed my league. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon started their (by now) excellent teamwork.

"Right on time you two," Cody said, ducking under a champion Digmon sent flying "Digmon can easily deal with the ground forces, but the airborne ones are some trouble," As he said that, a Flymon grabbed Digmon and threw him from above, proving Cody's point.

"Don't worry Cody, Hope and Light are on the job!" Kari said grinning and I rolled my eye.

"Don't blind us so much sunshine!" I teased and she blushed, which made me laugh and earn a cute pout as a result.

"I don't think you've realized we are in the middle of a raging battle, have you?" Cody asked and we looked at him, then back at each other and blushed. Cody grinned and all three started laughing, once again forgetting about the battle. Until we heard a booming sound and saw the spire crushing loudly on the ground that is.

"One down, three more to go!" Pegasusmon said and flew down to us, ready to pick us up to devastate another spire.

"Make them two," Nefertimon said while landing next to him and we turned just in time to see the tower Davis and Yolei were attacking crumble to the ground.

"We're halfway there, come on guys," Kari said and Cody joined me on Pegasusmon. We flew towards the other Dark Spire, while Raidramon and Halsemon were easily spotted speeding towards the last one. We barely managed to dismount our digimon before they were attacked.

"This is too easy," Cody said and for the first time, I realized the small number of our opponents, we were hardly outnumbered three to one "Something's definitely not right".

"Over there!" Kari almost yelled, pointed behind us. As soon as I turned around, I froze at the sight of WarGrowlmon being pinned by some dozens of digimon.

"We need to head back, Pegasusmon!" I yelled, trying to get the attention of my partner. Luckily, he heard me and followed my pointing hand before grasping the situation and flying down to get me "I'm going to help Takato, you two bring that thing down and join me!" I yelled and mounted Pegasusmon, who flew at top speed towards the horde. Looking at the side, I saw Halsemon with Yolei and Ken on his back heading for the same destination. We had almost reached him before we stop in utter shock…

000

Takato's PoV

It was a really awkward situation, both digimon standing still and no one making a move, while all around us a fierce battle was taking place. Metaldevimon was slowly starting to regain his calm and his arrogant smirk soon returned. He didn't even flinch when two of the spires he had summoned were destroyed, on the contrary his smirk widened. I wasn't much worried though, I knew there was no way he could defeat WarGrowlmon.

"You are strong, I'll give you that," He said and made a small bow "but you will fall now!" Before he finished his sentence, a swarm of digimon attacked WarGrowlmon and pushed him on his back, down to the ground.

"That's not gonna work," I said and moved my hand towards my deck, pulling the card I needed "I think you can handle them with this simple card. Digi-modify… Power Boost activate!" I slashed the card and WarGrowlmon roared and rose, throwing the enemy digimon and causing Metaldevimon to growl.

"You are starting to get on my nerves," Metaldevimon said and rose both of his hand. Moments later, more digimon joined the other and they charged again, the sheer number of their forces almost completely covering my partner. Ok, a Power Boost card isn't enough to help him against them, so he needs a bit more power.

"You just don't get it, do you?" I sighed and placed my D-Arc back on my belt, while walking closer to WarGrowlmon, puzzling all of them in the process "It's pretty simple actually," I stopped when I got in five meters radius and stood firmly on the ground "You cannot defeat the two of us. WarGrowlmon, it's time for another power boost!" I yelled and let out a fierce (at least I hope it was) battle cry and sent my energy to the overwhelmed dinosaur. I was glad to see Metaldevimon's jaw reach the ground when WarGrowlmon sent the digimon restraining him flying with an actual shockwave.

"Are we really going to stay on the defense?" Asked my partner in disappointment "He's annoying me with his sneaky methods. Can I hit him one more time… Please?" I rolled my eye at the combination of serious voice and childish personality.

"What the heck was that?!" Yolei asked atop her partner, I think it was Halsemon? She was with the guy partnered with Wormon and they looked shocked. I looked around and saw two more spires under attack, but still standing.

"Why are you here?" I tilted my head in confusion "Shouldn't you be destroying those pillars over there?" I asked and the blinked.

"You looked like you were in trouble… We thought you needed our help," Halsemon said and landed next to us "Yolei, Ken, Wormon and myself rushed to help," That's right, Ken was his name!

"And not only them," A voice said from behind me and I turned to look at T.K. His amazed face made it clear he was shocked as well, but he had gotten over most of it. I was about to explain, when the sound of the third pillar coming down made us all look at its wreckage.

"Enough!" Yelled Metaldevimon and I jumped in surprise. His face was twisted with anger and from the tips of his wings sparks flew everywhere "You have spoiled my plans, not once, not twice, but three times!" His helmets started smoking, actual white smoke, like the temperature inside was a hundred Celsius "I don't care if you are more powerful than I anticipated at first; I am going to destroy you!"

"Not so fast!" T.K yelled and Pegasusmon dedigivolved "You may have forgotten your goal, but I haven't; your opponent it me!" he finished and the last tower burst in flames "Patamon, are you ready to bring him down?"

"You bet! Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

"T.K, I don't think a champion, even with Angemon's power can win against an ultimate his level," Ken said but T.K simply smiled at him.

"It's not a matter of can or can't. I believe in Angemon's power and I know he believes in mine. Metaldevimon will be defeated and Angemon and I will do it!" He said in passion and turned to his nemesis. The two digimon didn't waste a second and were locked in combat almost immediately.

"T.K," I said earning his attention "A digimon is always evolving; it doesn't matter if it takes time, eventually they do. The same goes for our digimon, but it's not only the experience they get that does it. They grow stronger all the time, due to the power of the bond we have forged. The device you are holding isn't giving power to Patamon, it's transferring him yours. The stronger the bond is, the more energy is transferred".

"What are you trying to say?" He asked me and I smiled.

"I think you and your friends allow your digivices to transfer you energy, resulting in transferring a small amount. But what would happen if you forced more energy to them?" I said and T.K narrowed his eyes in suspicion, which later on turned into determination.

"Angemon, let's take it to the next level!" He yelled and he assumed the same position I did which meant he probably saw it. I was glad he did though, because I realized how cool I look when I do it.

I was surprised by what followed. T.K kneeled and fell forward, panting and sweating like he had run for miles. Angemon, who had looked surprised at T.K, screamed and started falling, crashing a few feet in front of us. For a second, I thought I had actually caused some serious damage, but Angemon rose and looked at his hands in wonder. He opened and closed his fists a couple of times before looking at T.K and then at Metaldevimon, grinning.

"Angemon digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!" And there he stood, one of the few ultimate level digimon with enough power to match a mega…

000

T.K's PoV

For a moment there, I couldn't see anything. I followed Takato's advice and tried to 'gather' my energy, as silly as it may sound, and sent it to Angemon. To be honest, I didn't think it was going to work, but as soon as my energy was drained, actually given willingly, the doubt was dispelled. I could feel my shirt sticking to my back, despite the fact there was no sweat there a second ago and almost all of my muscles were in pain.

"Angemon digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!" My partner's shout forced me to open my eyes and smile. I wasn't surprised he evolved, considering the amount of energy I sent him. I looked at Metaldevimon and my smile grew wider as he seemed shocked and… scared? His helmet didn't help much since it hid his upper face. I tried to move, but realized for the first time I was kneeled, so I forced my legs to stand up. My movement probably reminded Takato I was there, as he took my arm and helped me up.

"Just how much energy did you transfer? I said force more, not all of it," He said grinning.

"Give me a break, it's my first time trying," I complained and turned my attention to MagnaAngemon and Metaldemon "Game's over tin head, it's just you and me. Just for the record, you are facing the most powerful me so far!" I said and Metaldevimon growled.

"Don't you dare call me weak child of Hope! I may be out of tricks, but that doesn't mean I can't destroy you in a fair battle!" Metaldevimon said shot a barrage of missiles against him. MagnaAngemon didn't even flinch as he brought his left arm forward and the Beam Shield covered him, nullifying everything that hit it.

"I am not Angemon anymore," MagnaAngemon said and I walked forward. I knew what would soon follow and I wouldn't miss it for the world "If you want to defeat me, you must use your whole power, every drop to the core. Reminds you anything?" He asked and both our faces darkened.

"Let's do this MagnaAngemon, finish it with one attack," I said and MagnaAngemon nodded. He was thinking the same thing.

"So it comes down to a clash of sheer power. Let's see which is stronger, the power of light or darkness!" He said and his body started shifting; his wings and his hands merged together, creating a cannon, while his legs became spikes and burred deep beneath the Earth "This is what I call real firepower, get a load of this, Evil Technology!"

"I don't need firepower when I got this, Gate of Destiny!" MagnaAngemon shouted while bringing Excalibur, his sword a full circle, creating the golden gate. Metaldevimon shot his cannon, a pitch black plasma beam, straight towards my friend, but I didn't move one bit. I had faith in MagnaAngemon.

"It ends here," He said and the gate opened, sucking the whole beam before closing. It started rotating and opened again, shooting the same energy covered in light "Have a taste of the holy counterpart of your attack!"

"Damn you!" Metaldevimon yelled. He was unable to move due to his current transformation and he took the full blast. An explosion occurred and when the smoke cleared, Metaldevimon was there, turning slowly into data. He had a calm expression on and when he opened his mouth I shivered at the extremely neutral voice.

"You really think it's over? Just like last time, it is only the beginning. Soon, you'll face a power far greater than you can imagine, a power that once almost destroyed the digital world. That power is so old, not even the digital archives themselves have it," at that moment, a smirk crossed his face "But you souldn't worry about that. Worry for the ones searching for it. Want a hint? Look for the story of Bokomon about humans, although you won't realize until it's too late".(1)

"What do mean?!" Tai yelled, but the last of his data disappeared. I looked around and realized every spire was down and the digidestined were now behind me.

"This sucks," Yolei said and everyone nodded. Everyone except Takato that is.

"Thanks for the help Takato, though you own us an explanation," I said and the attention of the group focused on said teen,. There was more to him than I first thought and I needed to know. Takato sighed, but before he could start, a group of people joined us, almost all with digimon.

"We came as soon as Jeri called," A teenage boy with blue hair said.

"You are a little bit late Henry," He told the teen and then turned to the one called Jeri "Didn't have to disappear on us and call backup, we had it all along".

"Excuse me, I am lost here," Davis said and Takato looked at him "Who are these people?"

"Let's make some introductions and tell you about our adventures in the digital world..."

000

"I can't believe it, the idiot got himself killed and now we are screwed!" Picodevimon yelled in frustration behind a building near the place the digidestined sat. Bethormon was next to him without even caring his 'master' was dead.

"Don't worry Picodevimon, the 'idiot' wasn't much to begin with," The dark knight said.

"He may not, but we are still screwed," He said and Bethormon laughed lightly.

"Don't worry Picodevimon, his death doesn't affect the plan. At least not much," Bethormon said, earning him a look from his companion that was like asking 'are you an idiot?'.

"What's that supposed to mean? He died, I'd say his plan went down in the dump," Picodevimon said.

"I am not talking about his plan my friend, I am talking about mine," He said and Picodevimon blinked in surprise, "Metaldevimon knew about it and he offered his help if I helped him in return".

"You mean you weren't working under him?" Picodevimon asked, still shocked.

"No, I'd say _he_ worked under me. Come; walk with me as I make you an offer you can't refuse…"

**End of Chapter**

So this is the end of the second arc. 'Isn't it the first?!' Nop, the first was just the moving and the introduction. I know there wasn't much of a battle on this chapter, but I didn't want it to be. MagnaAngemon is one of the strongest digimon and Metaldevimon was definitely not a match for him.

(1): Not the one from Frontier.

Now, who is Bethormon really and what offer does he have for Picodevimon? What is this power Metaldevimon mentioned before he died and who are the ones searching for it? Some answers might be easy, while others may not be what you think. Some answers may already be known… Coming soon, the third and probably final arc of this story, **DEMONS**


	15. Basketball

Sorry for the long chapter. I was planning on updating a week ago, but I was stuck and it took me longer than expected. There's also my real life… I swear, it's like it's trying hard to slow me down! But you're not here to listen to me whine, so here's…

**CHAPTER 15: BASKETBALL  
**

"Are you sure you're ok?" T.K asked the brunette teen who stood next to him. Takato was laughing nervously and his eyes were panicked. T.K on the other hand was relaxed and grinning confidently.

"Yeah… don't worry, everything's gonna be great," Takato said, more to himself than T.K. The blond sighed and placed a hand around Takato's arm.

"Right back at you," T.K said and after looking around, he whispered "Seriously, you fight ultimate without breaking a sweat and you get nervous over something so simple?"

"Hey, it's not simple! I assure you, fighting mega is easier than this," Takato said and took a long breath to calm himself.

"Come on, it's just a basketball game," T.K said laughing "It's not as hard as you may think. As soon as you enter the field, you'll forget everything and concentrate on the game, trust me".

"Sure, trust the pro man!" Jake said and he appeared on the other side of Takato "Besides, if you get in, T.K and I will be in as well. The coach has seen our teamwork and he likes it. We'll give you a hand and if it's not enough, we'll give you four. How does that sound?"

"Ok everyone, listen up!" The coach's voice stopped Takato before he could answer "This year, we have three players that haven't played in any official game," He said pointing at Takato and two others of their teammates "They are going to play the longest on this match," This statement shocked most of the teens, mostly the three mentioned.

"But coach, that way we'll probably lose the game!" Alex, one the two players from last year's team protested.

"There's an 80% chance we'll lose, I know. Now sit back down and let me finish Alex," He said and Alex sat down obediently "I don't care about this match, we have four more to play. What I want to achieve with this, is for the newcomers to get used to this type of game. You are nervous and it's fine. You go out and don't worry about mistakes, on this game you are allowed to do as many as you like. From the next games, I won't tolerate them".

"Way to go coach!" Jake cheered and soon the rest followed. The coach grinned at them and raised his hands to silence them.

"You are all good players here kids. We have what it takes to become champs and I'll do whatever I can to ensure it happens. Now, let's lose ourselves a match!" He said and everyone cheered.

000

"I shouldn't have listened to you," Cody said for the tenth time that day. He was standing next to the doors, as the train was speeding towards Odaiba and he looked angry.

"Will you stop saying that?" Suzie said from across from him, annoyed as well. They were glaring daggers at each other since they had entered the train. Before that, they were happily spending the day in Shinjuku's park.

"I told you we need to go or we'll lose the match, didn't I? But you said we didn't have to hurry," the boy said and finally turned away his gaze to look at the number of stations till Odaiba.

"You didn't seem to mind while we were kissing," She answered back and grinned when Cody blushed. Since the Metaldevimon incident two weeks ago, the two of them had grown close. It was only two days ago that they became an official couple.

"Can't argue with that," Cody said and sighed, walking and standing next to her "I don't even know why I got angry in the first place. It takes far more than that to even annoy me".

"You did promise to both Takato and T.K to be there. It's just that you don't like braking promises," Suzie said and looked at him with an apologetic loot "I know you hate braking promises, sorry".

"We really did it this time," Cody said, laughing lightly "We were at each other's throat a minute ago and now we both blame ourselves for the mess".

"I've heard people that fight all the time actually like each other. I never really believed it, but I guess it's true," She said and kissed Cody on the cheek, causing him once more to blush.

"That's not necessary true. If it was, Yolei would be with Davis, not Ken," He pointed out and they stayed silent for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the each other's company. When the train finally reached Odaiba, they got out and quickly made their way towards the school.

"We're almost there," Suzie said panting, but she didn't slow down one bit. They passed through the gate and headed for the indoors court "Look, Takato is already out!" She cheerfully said, but Cody grimaced as he glanced at the board.

"I don't think you should cheer just yet. We are 12 points behind".

000

Takato was getting desperate by the minute; the first period was almost over and they were already getting crushed. They did manage to score a couple of good points, but the mistakes far outnumbered them. The enemy team just scored, so his team had the final attack and Takato wanted to at least end the period by scoring. Unfortunately, before he even got the ball, there was a mistake by his teammates and they received a three points, just as the timer reached zero.

"That sucked big time," Alex said and sat down next to Jake. Takato couldn't agree more.

"Takato, you are out for the second period," The coach said and Takato nodded. T.K placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned.

"No worries, we can still win this," He said, the grin never letting his face "It's only a matter of time before he make a comeback".

"Nah, don't be naïve," Jake said and both Takato and T.K looked at him "We're seventeen points behind. It's not going to be easy to cover the distance".

"I know the coach said not to worry about this game, but I can't help feeling depressed by my awful performance," Takato said and sighed. The others exchanged a glance and then looked at him.

"The coach talked to us while you were playing," T.K said and Takato looked at them in question "I am going in for the second period and all the three of us will play from the whole second half".

"That means we'll be able to put our awesome teamwork to use," Jake winked at him and Takato rolled his eyes "Don't give me that!" he scolded and Takato laughed.

"Get ready, the game's about to begin!" The coach said and then motioned at Takato "Come here, I'll give you some instructions and you'll be back on the next period".

"Ok guys, let's play some basketball," T.K yelled and the game resumed.

Up on the stands, a big crowd was cheering for their friends. Most of the digidestined and tamers, along with Takato's parents crowded a whole row. Despite the depressing mood around them, they cheered loudly, maybe even louder than the opposing team's fans. There were a couple of people that didn't really pay close attention to the match, like Jeri and Mimi who had a conversation about fashion. Despite that, they averted their gaze to the game every now and then.

"Yeah, go and show them what basketball really means T.J!" Davis cheered happily.

"Stop yelling so loud Davis, don't you think you are a bit older than the age of ten?" An irritated Matt asked, since Davis' yell was a bit too loud for his liking. Davis was about to protest, but he was interrupted by an equally loud yell from Tai, causing Sora, Kari and Suzie to giggle.

"I don't think they can act as adults or even mature teenagers when watching or playing sports," Kari said and Matt sighed in defeat, knowing she was probably right. He looked at the game again just in time to see T.K score a perfect three points shot.

"Good job T.K, that's my bro!" Matt suddenly jumped up and yelled, causing both Sora and Kari to sweat-drop. T.K heard him and flashed a grin at his direction, before getting back to the game.

The game continued with both teams scoring and keeping the difference almost the same. T.K's extreme performance had inspired the rest of his teammates, but the new guys were still doing a lot of mistakes. When the period finished and the half time brake started, Kari and Matt left to get some chips and sodas.

"Do you think they can do it?" Kari suddenly asked on their way back. Matt looked at her and raised his shoulders.

"They are too far behind, but I've seen greater comebacks," He said and looked at her with an assuring smile.

"We'll just have to do what T.K does best," Kari grinned at Matt's puzzlement "Hope silly".

000

"Why don't we try anagramming the words of each paragraph into other languages?" Henry asked in thought, looking at the text they had been trying to decipher for the last week.

"We could, but I don't think there's any program out there able to do something like that," Izzy answered, but Henry just raised his eyebrows "I guess we could write it ourselves, but I don't think it's worth the time".

"Then what do you suggest?" Henry asked, crossing his arms "We've tried so many deciphering methods, maybe more than the army or any government organization, none of it worked," He said and sighed.

"Maybe we should have gone to the game. We've been working on this for hours; a little fresh air would do us good," Izzy said and rubbed his shoulders. This made Henry realize that his shoulders were stiff as well "We can still make it you know. I can call Tai or Matt and ask if the game is still on".

"Yeah, let's do just that. We'll continue this after the game," Henry said and stood up, walking a bit to make his sore legs functional again. Izzy dialed a number on his phone and a couple of seconds later Tai answered.

"Hey Tai, Izzy here," He greeted and a moment later he continued "That's good; I'm on my way there with Henry. Nop, no progress at all. We'll speak when I get there, see ya in a while," He removed the phone from his ear and placed it in his pocket "The second half is about to begin, ready to go?"

They left the apartment and made their way to the school. Henry felt great working his legs and feeling the cold wind of October cool his warm body. He hadn't spent so much time in Odaiba, but now that he walked alongside Izzy at the crowded streets, he decided he really liked it. It was so different than Shinjuku, yet so similar at the same time. He recalled that years ago, he heard in the news that Odaiba received major damage by an attack, but he couldn't remember why. He decided to ask Izzy about it and the young man smiled.

"Twice, Odaiba became a battlefield between digimon. Once seven years ago, when we returned from the digital world and fought against Myotismon," He looked around with nostalgia and continued a moment later "Again three years ago, when digimon appeared and started rampaging, the younger digidestined fought them".

"Now that you mention it, I recall my father had some business in Odaba around that time, but he returned saying every means of transportation towards Odaiba were unavailable," The blue haired teen said assuming a thinking position.

"They pretty much were, considering the fog," Izzy answered and looked at his phone "The second half must have started by now, let's increase the pace".

By the time Izzy and Henry arrived, the third period was almost over. Yolei was the first to notice them and waved her hands ecstatically at them. She watched as they reached their seats and flashed them a victory sign, before returning to the game. Everyone around them was cheering, something that confused them both, since they were behind for 10 points. When Henry pointed this out, Rika answered.

"We have scored 7 points straight, we were far more behind before you came. Just look at those three, they are on fire!" She said pointing at the field, where Takato was currently in possession of the ball. He passed the ball between two enemies and a redheaded boy caught it, easily scoring. This caused more cheers from the crowd, even Mimi.

000

The game was over and inside the locker room reigned chaos. Takato, T.K and Jake were grinning in the middle of a small circle, created by the rest of their teammates who jumped up and down cheering loudly. Takato could scarcely believe it; they were cheering for him! After doing so many mistakes, he got angry with himself and was determined to play good.

"Enough everyone, settle down!" The coach said as he entered, but his grin was visible "I didn't expect such a turn of events. The new guys got the experience they needed to lose their nervousness for future games. We actually won the game and we did that with one of the greatest comebacks in all school tournaments' history!"

"Three cheers for you guys again!" Charlie yelled and the team cheered again for the three of them.

"Congratulations on your performance. Let's celebrate this victory, I'm treating you lunch!"

Half an hour later, everyone had finished with the shower and gotten dressed. T.K had sent Kari a message, saying not to wait for him and Takato and the victorious team left for the nearest restaurant. It was full of people, mostly families, enjoying their Saturday break together. The team found a table in the corner big enough for all of them and sat down and placed their order. By the time they started eating, the sun was barely visible.

"A toast if I may," Jake said with a serious face and stood up with a glass filled with diet coke "May today's match mark the beginning of a chain of lucky last minute comebacks that will lead to the an even more spectacular last second comeback in the finals," He finished and drunk his coke before sitting back down, keeping a straight face the whole time, while the rest were laughing, including the coach.

"Let's hope we win some matched without having a heart attack," The coach said and lifted his glass of bear before drinking as well.

"Wow, slow down there dude, the food's gonna stuck in your throat if you keep up," Charlie said and everyone's attention was turned towards Alex, who was devouring everything he could get.

"Leave me alone Charlie, we're celebrating here. Let me forget the stupid, extremely strict died for today and eat, I am famished for God's sake!" The teen said and continued his disgusting display.

"I lost my appetite," Takato said and T.K nodded, putting down his fork and lightly patting his belly "I have to go now anyway. Henry's staying with me today and I have to make sure the room is," he stopped and coughed lightly before continuing "appropriate"

"I'm coming with you. I am not in the mood to walk home alone," T.K said and they stood, told their farewells to the rest and walked towards their building. It didn't take long and they soon found themselves exchanging goodbyes. When T.K was finally in his room, he stretched and massaged the back of his neck, letting a relieved moan.

"Congratulations on your victory T.K," His mother said from the door "Do you want to get some popcorn and watch a movie together?"

"Thanks mon," He said with a smile, which then turned into a tired yawn "Sorry, I'm tired from the game and I was planning in sleeping early if you don't mind".

"Go ahead, we'll just reschedule for next Saturday," She said and winked at him before closing the door "Feel free to oversleep tomorrow!"

"You don't have to tell me that twice, night," He said prepared to go to sleep.

000

It almost midnight, but the streets were still crowded. People, especially teenagers or young adults were enjoying their Saturday night.

No one was paying attention to the figure standing on the top of one of the tallest buildings. He stood there in the shadows, eyes closed and arms crossed, feeling the breeze. He slowly opened his purple eyes, a sight that would cause any human to scream, considering the third eye on his forehead. He laughed lightly, a cold, evil sound barely audible, but despite the low volume, it filled the floors below him, causing the occupants to shiver.

"Soon… Your plan will succeed brother… I'll make sure of that".

**End of Chapter**

Now, about a review I received from a non-account named SJC-Caron. I am not offended or anything (everything you say is pretty much true), but English isn't my first language. If you really thought it was, then I am flattered.

Anyway, thanks for reading guys, feel free to review!


	16. The link between past and present

I am really sorry about the such long wait! Life has been pretty rough the past seven months and I couldn't find inspiration. I promise the next update won't be that far away, with Summer, I hope I get some more free time. But you are not here to read my rumbling but my story, so that's it. On with the story!

**CHAPTER 16: THE LINK BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT**

Takato woke up by the sun hitting his face. Groaning, he pulled the sheets over him and tried to turn away from the sun, but he ended up falling on the floor of his living room. He cursed himself, having forgotten he wasn't on his bed but on the coach. He got up and rubbed his eyes to make his drowsiness go away before heading for his room, not surprised to find Henry already up and dressed, sitting on the computer.

"Morning," He said and turned around to face Takato "Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty much," The brunette answered back "Unfortunately, I had an early wakeup call by the sun".

"I wouldn't say early. If you haven't checked, it's 10 o'clock," Henry said and motioned at the clock. Takato rolled his eyes before replying.

"You do realize it is Sunday, right? I usually don't wake up before 11:30," He stretched and the cracking of his joints felt great "What are you doing anyway?" He asked and sat down next to him. His friend continued typing something Takato couldn't understand.

"Changing the code of a program. I am still trying to decipher Bokomon's text," The genius said, while his fingers danced on the keyboard. Takato lost interest after a minute of silence and headed for the kitchen to make himself breakfast.

"Have you eaten or do you want me to make something for you too?" Takato asked and opened the fridge to get some milk. Henry rumbled something loudly that Takato made out as 'sure' and opened the drawer to get some corn flakes and a sweet bread and started slicing it. Moments later, the two friends stood before Takato's computer enjoying their breakfast. That's when Henry's phone vibrated.

"It's Izzy," Said the blue haired teen as he opened the text "He says to meet him later to talk to Gennai about our findings".

"Given what you said, I don't think we'll have anything to say to him," Takato said and Henry sighed. It was common knowledge that Henry hated it when he couldn't find an answer. Henry closed the code window and switched back to the Bokomon's text.

"It's not that long," Takato said after checking the two pages long document. Henry didn't seem to notice as he was thinking hard, so with nothing else to do, Takato started reading it. It was a bit awkward, reading about humans as if they were aliens. Half way through, Takato had to agree that Bokomon was correct on most parts about them. What really caught his attention though, was the final paragraph. He blinked a couple of times and then his eyes widened.

"This might work Takato!" Henry exclaimed suddenly, something that would have startled his friend under normal circumstances "Are you listening to me? Earth to Takato," He said and moved his hand in front of the brunette's face. That brought him back and he turned to face Henry.

"Henry, did you actually try reading it?" He asked and Henry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I didn't, but Izzy did and told me he didn't find any hints," Henry said and Takato shook his head.

"You should have read it too. It would have saved us a lot of trouble," He said and Henry looked even more confused "Just read the final paragraph and you'll understand," And so Henry did and realized what Takato meant.

"This is a full explanation of the seven deadly sins!" He said in shock and lightly slapped his forehead "Why didn't I read this?"

000

"Where can I have left it?" Ken wandered as he sat on his bed next to Wormon. He had been looking for his D-3 for the last hour without any success and he was starting to worry.

"Calm down Ken, I'm sure we'll find it soon. You probably forgot to take it from Yolei's bag yesterday, no big deal," Wormon said, hoping his friend would stop being so stressed. The fact that Yolei was still asleep and wasn't picking up her phone only made things worse.

"One thing's for sure," Ken said and stood up "It isn't here. I hope you are right and Yolei has it or else this could mean trouble," Just then, his cell phone ringed and Ken picked it up "Hello, Ken speaking".

"Good morning Ken," Izzy's voice came from the other side "We think we figured what the hint is," He said and Ken's eyes widened.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes!" He said and disconnected the call. Wormon looked confused, but as soon as Ken explained, the digimon nodded.

As he walked in a quick pace near the sea, he heard a beeping sound and turned. He was more that shocked to find his D-3 laying a couple of yards away. He wondered how it got there, while looking around. He was sure he hadn't passed through that road the day before. He was surprised for a second time in one minute when he noticed a small cloud of fog on the horizon. Normally, that wouldn't have been big, but the along with his D-3's disappearance it was.

"I have a bad feeling about this," The teen said. Wormon looked at him a worried, but quickly shook his head.

"We need to get to the others," The digimon said and Ken nodded and continued his way towards Izzy, making a mental note to ask the older boy about it later.

000

"Sorry I'm late!" Davis yelled as he entered Izzy's living room. The first thing he noticed, he was the last to arrive, what a surprise. The second, Izzy had his laptop on the coffee table, facing the group of digidestined and the two tamers. Third, Gennai was at the screen, looking really worried.

"Next time we talk about something important, please try to be on time," Yolei complained and turned towards the young man on the screen "Continue Gennai".

"As I was saying, if what you found out is true, we are in for quite a battle," The man said and Davis couldn't keep his frown. No one spoke and so Gennai continued "The Great Demon Lords are not just an enemy we can take lightly".

"Who exactly are those Demon Lords?" Takato asked and Gennai sighed.

"The Demon Lords go way back, almost as much as the creation of the digital world," He said and Davis blinked; that was too long ago indeed "As I've already told some of you, the digital world came to be at the same time the first computer was created. The Atanasoff-Berry Computer or ABC," He said but was interrupted by Davis.

"Hey, I know that one, we learned about it two weeks ago!" He said in excitement, but sweat-dropped when he saw the looks Kari and Yolei were giving him. The ones he liked to call the 'shut up or there will be pain' look.

"The ABC was actually the first digital world and since it worked at really high speed, compared to the real world at least, it evolved further and further, until it became close to what you'd call a God," The man said and Takato and Henry gasped.

"That's incredible!" Henry said with wide eyes "An evolution like that on its own. I never thought it possible".

"There's more," Gennai said and again all eyes turned to him "A little while later, the second computer, ENIC, was created. And he also reached the same evolution stage as ABC. But things didn't end well," He said and everyone but Izzy, Henry and Cody looked at him curiously "When the Internet was being developed as a military project, the two computers connected. And so the battle for supremacy began".

"Wait a second, you're telling me two Gods faced off? That's insane, the world would be destroyed!" Tai said and Gennai nodded.

"That's the conclusion the two computers reached as well. After a battle that lasted over a decade of digital years, they decided on another solution. They both created champions to fight on their behalf. Two groups were created; the Ten Royal Knights, champions of ABC and the Seven Demon Lords, champions of ENIAC".

"The very first digimon," Cody said and the others realized it as well. Davis pondered on this, wondering what they'd look like and how powerful they'd be.

"The computers had data in them; data even their creators didn't know existed. ENIAC, being created during and for war, was exposed to many negative emotions. As crazy as a computer exposed to emotions sounds, it did. ENIAC and ABC were special after all".

"This is getting quite interesting, " Henry said, his hand on his chin in thought.

"The seven deadly sins, as your religion calls them, where the most intense and so they passed on to the Demon Lords. They were the first digital beings capable of feeling. ABC on the other hand, was developed in a peaceful environment, and so his champions weren't affected by any emotion in particular, either than good hearted pride. And so the second war began".

"Wasn't it a bit uneven? I mean, there were seven Demon Lords and ten Royal Knights," Matt pointed out, but Gennai shook his head, his face darkening a bit.

"The Demon Lords were more powerful than the Royal Knights; out of the ten, only the three leaders matched them. The war lasted for over a century before the Royal Knights found a way to end it. They unleashed a virus on their enemies that messed with their code. It took them some time but they managed to defeat and force them into foreign worlds".

"Hey, that's not fair!" Davis shouted and was glad to see no one yelling at him for interrupting "Forcing other worlds to deal with their problems just isn't right".

"You didn't let me finish," Gennai said, but there was no anger in his voice "The virus had another effect; when they left their home world, their powers were tremendously decreased. Some of them reverted back to rookie, while others lost their memories and blended in those worlds".

"You mean to say there might be a demon lord here without us knowing about it?" Sora asked worried. Matt noticed that and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If that's true, which is pretty much possible, I bet _he_ doesn't even know who he is," Gennai said. Davis didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about what Gennai had said.

000

It was late afternoon when the hooded man entered the nursing home. He looked around and frowned at the scene; the paint was half worn and the wall had holes in certain spots, while the wooden floor had swollen and the furniture were rugged. Despite that, there were many elders around, doing whatever people their age tend to do. It wasn't of the certain man's concern, so he averted his gaze towards the woman standing on the desk looking at him sternly.

"I am sorry sir, but the visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow to check on your parent, grandparent or whoever you have here, " She said rather rudely, but the man didn't care. He sat on the chair in front of the desk and smiled, something pointless since a piece of cloth hid his features.

"I really need to see my... family member tonight," Said the man. The woman looked at him sternly again, but she smiled at him as soon as he slid some currency towards her.

"I guess we can make an exception," She said brightly and snatched the money. The man's smile widened at this and he followed her into the deeper part of the building.

"Do you know they way to their room, or do you want me to help you?" By the look on her face, he knew she wanted more bribe. Her behavior almost confirmed his suspicion.

"I won't be needing your assistance any more, thank you," He said and the woman's face fell as she walked back to her desk. The man looked around, searching for a certain elder in the crowd. It didn't take him long to find him standing near the window, looking outside.

"You can turn around and leave," The elder said as soon he spotted the man "I prefer being alone, I can't stand the rest of you".

"Trust me on this, you don't want me to go," The man said and sat down opposite the elder " I am here to help you," He said and the elder raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware I was in need of assistance," He said and again motioned for him to leave "I want to spend the rest of my days in peace, so leave before I ask the staff to throw you out," The man almost laughed at his statement.

"You have a long time ahead f you and I am not leaving. You were hard to find, harder that the rest," At this, the elder narrowed his eyes. The man moved his gloved hand and touched the elder's forehead.

"What do you think you are doing?!" The elder asked in shock as a soft glow forced him to close his eyes, only to open wide moments later "What?"

"Don't sound so surprised," The man chuckled and the elder shook his head to get over the shock "You had been living a lie for almost a decade... Barbamon".

**End of Chapter**

The first two parts were a nightmare to write! Anyway, we learned about the past of the digital world and the third part marks the beginning of the next arc! Please leave a review on your way out ;)


	17. The Seven Sins

Sorry for the long wait. I'm sure you're all sick of reading this, but my life's been buys. I'm helping my father every day at work, waking up at 6:15 in the morning and arrive home at 17:00-17:30... And needless to say it's quite the inspiration killer. There are some other bad news, but you'll read about them after the chapter!

**CHAPTER 17: THE SEVEN SINS**

The beach was silent, except from the rhythmic sound of the waves lightly crushing on the soft sand. It was quite strange, considering the five beings waiting patiently on the shore. Three of them were small, close to the size of a grown human, but the other two were humongous. One of them stood taller than the trees, even while sitting and the other was far longer and thicker than the biggest snake.

The tall one looked like a beast from a nightmare, with thick black fur all around his body,except from some red marks. He hadbig hands and feet with long and sharp claws and a demonic face with horns. From his back, two black-purple wings were folded, while circling his hands were chains.

Thelong creature was a red crocodile with far too many teeth and a metal covering his huge mouth and nose, as well as a yellow shell-like belly. Starting from the beginning of the metal, just above its red eyes and ending on twin tails, were two sea-blue lines of hair, following a wavelike pattern.

The three smaller creatures didn't look at all alike. One was a humanoid female with two pairs of bat like wings and a twisted face. She wore a purple dress and had her long nails painted the same color. To put it simply, she could have been mistaken for a woman in gothic style (not considering the wings).

The one next to her was a bit taller and looked like a biker in a gang. He was wearing a black jacket with white fur on the collar, along with two black belts, trousers and boots. His boots also had a holster which held two guns. His face was too white and he wore apurple mask, covering it, except his red eyes, including a third one on his forehead. The only thing out of place was the red scarf tied around his left arm.

The last one was the most bizarre one of them all. If you took his right side, you saw an angel with five white wings and boots with golden angelic wings. His left side though, was the exact opposite. The second half of the wings were pitched black and bat like, and strange markings covered that part of his face and his left sleeve. His boots also decorated golden wings, but demonic ones.

The five beings almost didn't move a muscle; they only threw a quick glance at each other, before turning their gaze back to the forest. It was early morning when two figures walked out of the forest and joined them. One of them was an old man with pointy elfish ears, a really long beard reaching his knees, and a yellow mask covering his face. He had three pairs of wings similar to the gothic woman's, but in red and was holding a long scepter with a red orb fixed in the mouth of a skull.

The other one was a tall creature wearing a ceremonial cloak. He had two wings almost the same size as him and a pair of horns sticking form the side of his head. He was wearing a medallion with a vertical eye as a symbol. There was also another symbol with a horizontal eye this time, inside an upside-down star in yellow on his cloak where the forehead was. He was a digimon well known to the digidestined… Daemon.

"It's nice to finally see you all together again," Daemon said and extended his hands, as if hugging them all "I worked really hard for this moment… my brothers".

"So much time and you still call me a brother… You never learn," The woman said annoyed, causing the rest to chuckle "You could at least say siblings".

"I can't say I missed this sister," the long serpent said and his tails brushed against her "But I did miss that angry look of yours Lilithmon".

"Come on, don't mess with her Leviamon," The old man said and raised his scepter, bringing it lightly down "And you sister," he said, turning to Lilithmon "We are call Demon Lords, not Demon Lords and Lady, you can't expect us to point out the sex (*) every single time".

"Don't be smart with me Barbamon! I know that, but it's still annoying," Lilithmon said and flapped her wings to prove her point.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed, my _siblings_," the tall one said mockingly and smirked at his sister's look "To be honest, I was worried your fake memories would get to you," He said, looking at both Lilithmon and Barbamon.

"Don't remind me. How preposterous to think that I thought I was a dying old man!" Barbamon said and turned to Daemon.

"Your life the past years have been uneventful. I had been spending my time in a city called Las Vegas, which could be our city since it's often called Sin City. You can probably guess what I was doing there Belphemon," She smirked and winked at the tall digimon who shook his enormous head.

"I'd forgotten how loud all of you were," The angel said with crossed arms. Lilithmon blew a kiss and a pink heart bubble made its way towards him. He growled and slapped it away as soon as it reached him.

"That was cruel Lucemon!" Lilithmon putted, but Lucemon ignored her and looked at the last digimon of the group, the biker.

"You are uncharacteristically quiet," He said and all eyes turned to him. He looked around nervously, causing confusion among the rest, except Daemon.

"That's because he isn't the original Beelzemon," Daemon said and everyone looked at him in surprise, before turning back to Beelzemon.

"I recently joined you. Daemon said something about the previous Gluttony; that he resented his place among you and lost his power. I was a worthless Picodevimon before, joining other digimon to take a small share of their glory. Daemon found me and I finally have a purpose".

"Interesting…" Barbamon said while stroking his beard. He raised and brought his scepter lightly on the ground again, probably something he used to do before he had his memories altered "I'll ponder on that later," He finally decided and turned to the rest "I am more curious about what happened to you".

"Let me start then," Lucemon began, "The Royal Knights," He hissed the title, "did something really crazy. They split me in two personalities, an angel and a demon and forced them to fight each other. I don't know where the battle took place, but my two sides fought for a long time. Neither of my sides accepted defeat, thanks to my Pride. In the end, Daemon appeared, did his 'voodoo'and here I am, whole again" Daemon's eyes narrowed at the word voodoo, but he didn't speak.

"You already know about Lilimon," Belphemonsaid quickly, sensing his brother's annoyance. "I don't have an interesting story for you though. I was sent on a different dimension and kept in a stasis of sleep until some crazy scientist woke me up. I caused quite the carnage before Bethormon connected the dimensions and brought me back".

"That's quite the story compared to mine," Leviamon said and snorted, raising wind and shaking the nearest trees "I was sent to the Dark Ocean and bound to an underwater prison. The only thing that saved me from boredom were those pathetic excuse of a digimon that served me. Boy, was I relieved to see Daemon enter the ream. He broke the prison and freed me".

"But I didn't enter willingly,"Daemon picked up the story "I was thrown by the digivice of the container of the Dark Spore. So we were still trapped in there. It took us years before we found a way out. Our data was far too much and complicated to pass through, but on a significant smaller and simpler form, we would be able to," Daemon grimaced, as if discussing about the specific topic left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You can't be serious," Lucemon said wide eyed. His brother's expression was enough to confirm his suspicion.

"I left a huge amount of my data behind and reached the Digital World as Bethromon, my champion level," Daemon continued with the story "It was there that Metaldevimon found me and made me an offer. He told me about a power that could make the weakest of digimon into a force to be reckoned with. It didn't take me long to realize his true power. He was a seer," The final statement shocked the Demon Lords.

"I thought all seers were erased completely, their essence lost even to the Primary Village," Lilithmon said.

"I don't know how, but he escaped Yggdrasil's purge" Daemon said "His power wasn't as great as a trained seer's, but he could see fragments of the future. He told where to most of you were and how to find you. Only Barbamon's location was far too vague to guess".

"So here we are," Barbamon said and brought his scepter in front of his eyes, holding it with both hands "It's a good place to bring forth the gate. Come my brothers (Lililthmon sighed in defeat), let's do the ritual!" Everyone took a step forward, Beelzemon a bit late.

"Sloth," Belphemon said and an indigo symbol form above his head.

"Lust," Lilithmon followed and a Green symbol appeared.

"Greed," Barbamon said and a purple symbol materialized.

"Gluttony," Beelzemon said quickly when he realized it was his turn and a yellow symbol joined the rest.

"Envy," Leviamon said and a blue symbol appeared.

"Pride," Lucemon said calmly and the Red symbol burned into existence above his head.

"Wrath," Daemon grinned and the final orange symbol appeared.

Every demon lord watched longingly except, Beelzemon who gaped in awe. The seven colors shot forward and met in the middle of the circle, blending together and creating a black sphere. The sphere floated slowly down until it was absorbed by the ground and the earth shook. Slowly, a white structure rose. It was a huge gate as tall as Belphemon, all seven symbols from before scattered across its surface.

"The Gate of Deadly Sins has risen," Daemon said and the Seven Great Demon Lords laughed hysterically.

000

Ryo moved quickly through the crowded Odaiba airport. He was already on his way back to Japan when Henry called, confirming his fears. Almost a week now, he felt a weird kind of dread, like someone had died. Those Demon Lords that Henry told him about sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't place his finger on why, but he thought he knew about them.

When he reached the exit, he saw Kazu and Kenta waving at him and he walked their way. Upon reaching them, he noticed they had their backs on a car. That alone wasn't strange, but the fact he didn't know the driver was.

"You must be Ryo, I am Tai, nice to meet you!" The man said and Ryo shook the extended hand.

"Nice to meet you too," He said smiling and turned towards his friends "Hey guys!"

"Hey there man," Kazu said grinning and motioned the side-driver's seat "Shotgun's all yours!" Ryo smiled and entered the car. It wasn't a long drive till they reached their destination, but Ryo and his friends had a casual conversation about his time in America.

"We have all gathered here," Tai told him as soon as they arrived "Let's go so Izzy and Henry can explain the situation to you".

"Why are we meeting here of all places?" Ryo asked as they entered the park.

"Let's just say we are too much of a crowd to gather on any of our houses," Kazu said and the four turned around a corner. Ryo couldn't help but blink at the sight in front of him. All the Tamers were there with their digimon, except from Ai and Mako. Along with them though, stood another eleven teens, each with a partner.

"Wow, since when have we been so many?" He asked in surprise, turning all eyes on him.

"Hey Ryo!"Takato said and the Tamers came to greet him. Guilmon sniffed his backpack and grinned happily.

"Hi Monodramon!" He cheered a bit loudly, causing the nearest teens to cringe.

"Hi Guilmon!" A voice said and the bag unzipped to reveal the rookie dramon "Take my advice and NEVER travel with a plane from America here. Not a pleasant experience".

After the greeting was over, the introductions started. After they finished with that as well (Ryo felt dizzy with all the names circling his mind), they sat down. He was filled in the situation by Henry and Izzy, the other group's genius. Henry hadn't said much on the phone, so now Ryo was starting to understand the threat better.

"This is going to be our greatest challenge ever," Ryo finally said when Izzy finished with his explanation. That statement had quite the effect on the others.

"Wait a minute there!" Kenta complained "We fought an unbeatable program that produced stronger and stronger opponents each time we defeated them. We had five mega and we didn't stand a chance, we only manage to stall it till the Monster Makers found a way to de-evolve it. How can something be more challenging than that?"

"I believe Ryo is right," Henry said calmly, his hand on his chin in thought "Despite the D-Reaper's power, it was simply a program that couldn't really think. It might have had agents that could, but the biggest threat didn't. Imagine Beelzemon's power, maybe even greater and multiply it by seven".

"Point taken," Kenta said and patted MarineAngemon on the head, earning a aqueal.

"The fact that Ken's D-3 went missing for a time is disturbing as well," Izzy said and Ryo looked at him in confusion. Seeing the man's expression, he explained "Ken's D-3 has a unique ability; it can open a portal to the Dark Ocean, a disturbing world," But the words Dark Ocean were enough for Ryo.

"That's it!" He shouted, causing Kazu and Tai who were standing next to him to step back in surprise "I've been to the Dark Ocean before and I've met a Demon Lord there," He explained, causing the digidestined to exchange worried looks. Ken on the other hand looked at Ryo in thought.

"You've met Daemon?" Davis asked, but Ryo shook his head.

"I don't know about Daemon, but I met another one who was locked away. He called himself Leviamon and claimed the Dark Ocean was his kingdom," He said and Kari shuddered at the though. If T.K, Patamon and Gatomon hadn't save her, she would be married to a Demon Lord?

"You said he was imprisoned?" Tai asked and Ryo nodded "How long ago was that? If you haven't met Daemon, then it must have been more than three years ago".

"Yeah, I'd say around seven," He said, causing Ken's eyes to go wide.

"Seven?!" He asked in shock, something rare for Ken these days. Everyone's attention quickly averted to the Child of Kindness, but he was too busy looking at Ryo.

"Yeah, I don't remember how I got there, but there was a kid I'd help after a weird thing shot in his head," Ryo answered and Ken looked at him with wide eyes "I lowered his fever as much as possible, but I wasn't able to do more, since I was sucked away to yet another dimension".

"I was that kid and you helped me when the Dark Spore entered my body," Ken said and the two boys looked at each other like they'd just found a long lost brother. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to catch up, since Izzy's D-Terminal beeped and he opened it. A quick glance at it and he gasped.

"The Demon Lords have made their move! Gennai said three of them appeared in the Digital World, while three appeared here".

**End of Chapter**

(*): I know that normally digimon don't have a sex, but it's better for me if they do. It sounds more appealing, don't you think? ;)

And now it's time for the bad news -.- . I live in Greece and here military service is mandatory for 9 months. Meaning I will be unable to write, at least for the first 3 months since I won't be allowed to leave the encampment. After that, I get exit permit sometimes, so I'll try to at least post a chapter...


	18. The Protectors of the Worlds

**CHAPTER 18: THE PROTECTORS OF THE WORLDS  
**

"It's been half an hour since the creatures appeared," The anchorman said with a serious expression "The police has blockaded the areas close to them, while the army is assembling on all three countries," He paused for a second, probably trying to create suspense "Panic has risen on the coasts of New York and Constantinople, as well as London. The people are afraid the creatures are the so called 'Digimon' that have been causing havoc for the last seven years. The governments have yet to confirm this information, but they stated they are ready to defend their respective capitals if necessary".

"I wonder why the enemy has made no move yet," Jeri wondered aloud as she watched the news. The families of the Digidestined and Tamers, along with the tight circle that knew of the existence of digimon had gathered at a huge living room on the building serving as the headquarters of Hypnos in Shinjuku. Most of the parents and siblings that had recently learned about digimon and their children/siblings involvement with them, were either restless, pacing around the room, or anxious, looking at the screen.

"I hope I could answer that question..." Said Yamaki as he entered the room, followed by Riley, Janyu and Gorou Mizuno, also known as 'Shibumi'. His appearance triggered a series of reactions from the occupants "Calm down everyone," He said and removed his glasses "I know you want to know what's happening, but we don't know much about the situation ourselves".

"I know what you're going through," Janyu said, shifting the attention "My own son Henry is out there, on his way to face off against one of those things," He paused and looked at the screen "I am a member of the organization, but I am also a father and believe me, as soon as we get a hold on something important, I am going to make sure to pass it on to you".

"Tell us," Mimi's mother asked, fear evident on her voice "How serious is it?" The four members of Hypnos were silent for a moment before Shibumi exchanged a look with Yamaki and walked forward. He was not looking forward to what was about to follow.

"As the most experienced with digimon among us, I am afraid we're in for quite a ride," He said and sighed "I've never seen anything like the enemies we are facing. Gennai, one of our allies on the other world told us we are fighting against seven enemies. We're..." He was cut off before he was able to finish his sentence.

"Seven?! Is that supposed to be a joke? How can seven enemies be considered a bad situation?" Davis' father asked in outrage, something that made the ones near him flinch and move a bit away from him.

"I don't think you are aware of a digimon's true capabilities," Shibumi said and crossed his arms "Just one of those digimon have enough power to annihilate Tokyo in a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds. And that without even trying," Davis' father was about to respond when Tai and Kari's mother gasped.

"Look!" She said and pointed at the T.V. The anchorman had been replaced by a reporter who was standing in front of the blockade in Constantinople.

"This is Jimmy Andeson, live from the Capital of Turkey where the creature has suddenly made a move," The reporter said and behind him, the behemoth had left the sitting position it was on and was now standing straight "As you can see, the creature is huge, probably as big as a small skyscraper. The army is standing its ground while they are calling for it to stand down from the megaphones," The camera zoomed at a couple of helicopters near the digimon. That's when things started to get bad.

"Oh my God!" One of the policemen yelled in shock as the behemoth hit a helicopter with the back of its hand, as if it was a fly. Everyone watched the helicopter with bated breath as it went completely out of course. It was about to crash, when a giant beetle appeared and caught it.

"That's MegaKabuterimon!" Jeri said and exhaled "That means Henry, Izzy and Joe have arrived!" And true enough, the giant robot bunny rose to full height between the behemoth and the army.

"You took your time," The behemoth said in a deep voice, sounding bored "You look strong; I hope you prove at least a decent opponent".

"Don't look down on us Belphemon!" MegaGargomon said extending a mechanic hand and pointing at him "You are about to go down!"

"Incredible!" Yelled the reporter "Another creature appeared and it looks like it's on our side," But before he could continue, the screen changed back to the anchorman.

"We are sorry for cutting the connection, but we have more news," He said and three small video windows appeared below him "As you can see on the screens, more creatures have arrived and it seems fighting has broken out!" The bottom right screen showed the battle between Belphemon and MegaGargomon. The middle one showed ImperialDramon and Leviamon fighting, the Statue of Liberty visible in the distance. The final screen showed Justimon and an old guy, probably Barbamon talking, standing on top of London's roofs.

"The battles on our world have started," Jeri found herself saying "The ones on the Digital World are probably as well... Good luck everyone".

000

"How do you like that?" Beelzemon shouted as he shot another round of bullets, causing more explosions around the mechanical city.

"Stand down or we'll open fire," A mechanical voice warned and Beelzemon turned his face behind his back. A line of Guardromon had their hands extended forwards with small missiles ready.

"As if; where's the fun in that?" He answered and shot the one that spoke, instantly deleting it. The remaining digimon quickly unleashed their barrage on the Demon Lord, causing smoke to cover the area around him.

"Mission complete," The robot digimon exclaimed, but before they could do anything else, the sound of guns firing filled the air and they all spread into data.

"That was a waste of my time," He said and was about to resume his rampage, but something stopped him.

"Nice shouting," A voice above him said and he looked up to face the speaker. What he saw though left him speechless. Standing on the roof of a nearby building, stood another Beelzemon. He looked almost identical to him, but with a pair of purple winds on his back. He also had a rifle and a pistol instead of a set of two.

"Who are you?" Beelzemon asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Daemon never mentioned he'd battle another Demon Lord.

"Where are my manners?" The other Beelzemon shook his head mockingly with a smirk "Let me introduce myself: I am Beelzemon Blast Mode. I guess you could say I am a stronger version of yourself," He said and his smirk grew wider.

"Sorry to break it to you pal, but I am a Demon Lord," Beelzemon said and smirked as well. He was intimidated at first, but after some thinking he realized there were only seven Demon Lords, so the one in front of him had to be a fake "I have a great power backing me up, you don't stand a chance!"

"You may have the power of the Sin of Gluttony, but there are two factors that cancel your statement," Blast Mode said with a fake yawn, which forced a growl out of Beelzemon. Blast Mode lifted his hand with one extended finger "First, I once possessed the power from the same Sin, which means I know its weakness. And second," He said, extending a second finger "I don't need to be a genius to see you have absolutely no clue on how to harness that power".

"Daemon said you resented your power," Beelzemon said finally connecting the pieces "How can you stand before me in that form?"

"Power can be obtained by many ways, most of which are nobler than yours," Blast Mode said and for the first time, the smirk left his face, replaced by a serious expression "You desired power, I get the feeling. Work your way towards it though, don't do the same mistake I did".

"As if! I've never felt so much power inside of me," Beelzemon yelled "I am not going back to being a useless Picodevimon!" He pulled his pistols and pointed them at Blast Mode. The winged Demon Lord closed his eyes and sighed loudly.

"Then I guess I have no choice... Prepare yourself!" Blast Mode said and pulled his rifle before jumping off the building.

000

"Don't you want a kiss dear?" Lilithmon said seductively and winked. The Meramon didn't even stand a chance, as the Demon of Lust sank her claws deep into his flaming gut, instantly deleting him. Lilithmon laughed sadistically licked her lips, as if enjoying the taste of an elite course. After she calmed down, she carried on, heading for a place of great importance for the Digital World; Primary Village.

"Stop right there!" Came a voice and Lilithmon turned to face the speaker. She looked at the digimon, blinked in disbelief and then started laughing again. Elecmon gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes "Do you think it's funny? Let's see if you'll be laughing after that!" He said and shot an electric shocker at her. She simply flicked her wrist and to Elecmon's utter shock, his attack was deflected out of the way.

"You are a couple of million years too early to even stand a chance against me," The Demon Lord said, before moving forward and bringing her Nazar Nail down on the mammal digimon. Elecmon's eyes widened and he barely managed to move out of the way as the attack hit the tree behind him, which started rotting only to be deleted a couple of seconds later "Why don't you make it easier for both of us and just die?" She asked sweetly and attacked again. Elecmon knew he couldn't avoid it and closed his eyes, expecting the strike that would end his life.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" A new voice said and Elecmon slowly opened his eyes. Standing in front of him, with a staff held in lock with Lilithmon's claw, was a beautiful woman in yellow and black armor. She bent her knees and pushed, throwing the female demon back.

"Interesting," Lilithmon said, while licking her claws "Beautiful and powerful. Do you happen to be single?" She asked seductively, but Sakuyamon was not amused. Even behind her mask, Lilithmon could sense the digimon's eyes twitching.

"Sorry, but sadistic girls with long, sharp nails and gothic outfits aren't really my type," Sakuyamon said and slammed her staff on the ground "You can try as much as you like, but your sin affects neither me, nor my companions," Lilithmon's head snapped up and she jumped back, barely evading a solar beam, courtesy of Lilymon.

"I see you did your homework," Lilithmon said, eyeing the three digimon in front of her. Lilymon and Sakuyamon stood together, under the shadow of Garudamon. Sora and Mimi were standing on the bird's shoulders, glaring defiantly at her "You know that my charm only works on males".

"You may be a Demon Lord, but," Mimi said, her voice clearly heard despite the distance between her and Lilithmon.

"Your twisted fun ends here," Sora finished for her friend. Both women opened their palms, revealing their digivices.

"Prepare yourself Lilithmon," Sakuyamon said and released the four elemental spirits who started circling her, ready to heed their master's every command. And Elecmon had to admit; she looked too freaking cool.

000

"Long time no seen," The Angel-Demon hybrid welcomed the knight in front of him by raising his hands and smirking. Omnimon landed smoothly and looked at Lucemon with a passive expression. Following him close behind were Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, both Kamiya and Ishida/Takaishi siblings on their backs.

"So that's Lucemon," T.K said, looking at the Demon Lord's unique structure. Haven't heard about his background from Gennai, T.K would have had trouble sorting his feelings about him. He could pass as either an Angel turned Demon or the other way around.

"Looks to me like an Angemon and Devimon had an accident with a mixer," Tai said and Matt rolled his eyes.

"Only you would come up with something like that," He said and Tai grinned at him. He turned to look at the Demon Lord and his grin vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

"I see you brought company," The Demon Lord said, glaring at Tai for his earlier comment "Were our battles in the past so boring that you felt like bringing others?"

"I thought we were here to battle, not remember old times along with a drink," Omnimon said and raised his left hand, the Grey Sword extending from the WarGreymon glove "Pegasusmon, Nefertimon!" He yelled, looking at them above his shoulder "We leave Tai and Matt to you," Their response was two small flashes of light, followed by two bigger ones.

"Patamon Warp Digivolve to… MagnaAngeom!"

"Gatomon Digivolve to… Angewomon!"

"Won't you look at that!" Lucemon said with mock enthusiasm "Is this supposed to be an all angel party? Sorry Omnimon, looks like you are not invited!"

"I am not laughing 'Fallen Angel'," Omnimon said and made a slashing movement with his sword, bringing it to position, ready to charge at Lucemon "Ready or not, HERE I COME!" The leader of the Royal Knights shouted and charged on the Leader of the Demon Lords.

000

"This is ridiculous!" Gallantmon said in frustration and kept on running. Gennai clearly stated that Daemon was somewhere near the ruined temple, but for half an hour now, he was nowhere to be seen. Realizing his anger would only slow him down and cloud his senses, he stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Don't worry Takato, I'm sure we'll find him," Guilmon reassured his tamer. Takato smiled inside Gallantmon; a simple statement like that from his partner was enough to calm him.

"I know we will buddy. It's just that it's nerve wrecking to know that the others are fighting the battles of their lives and we still haven't even found our opponent".

"Why don't we go on top of the ruins? Maybe we'll be able to see him from there," Guilmon said and Gallantmon run towards the ruins and jumped, slowly making his way to the top. Takato didn't want to say anything so not to disappoint Guilmon, but he highly doubted that they'd be able to find a 2 meters cloaked figure concealed by the thick forest.

"Do you see him buddy?" Takato asked, only to get a negative answer. Before he could say or do anything, he heard the voice of Gennai.

"Can you hear me Gallantmon?" He asked. Instantly, Takato knew that something was wrong. Gennai sounded worried.

"Loud and clear; what's the problem?" He asked and prepared himself for the worst.

"I found out the true purpose of the temple you are currently standing on. It stretches for a long way below the digital world. It's safe to say Daemon went inside," Takato was engulfed by an ominous wave. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling he had to get to Daemon fast. And as if Gennai knew what he was thinking he continued "Daemon MUSTN'T reach the final chamber of the temple".

"And why is that?" Takato asked, afraid of the answer.

"Because this is not a temple, but a prison; a prison for The…"

**End of Chapter**

Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long, but I finally managed to get a 10 day permit to return home. I need to be back in 4 days though. But don't worry! There are only 3 months left before my service is done and I am a military-free man again!

Anyway, the chapter ended on a cliffy… sorry! I am not 100% happy with the way it turned out, but I wanted to give you an update. I can safely say that the first part turned out quite well though. Let me ask you one thing: What do you think awaits Takato and Daemon at the end of the prison?

Finally, here's another way the confrontation with Lucemon ended (purely for comical relief xD)

"_Patamon Warp Digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"_

"_Gatomon Digivolve to… Angewomon!"_

"_What?!" Lucemon suddenly yelled, his eyes growing wide and his eyes opening in shock. For a moment he didn't respond, but when he got over it, his face twisted in anger "You dare appear in front of me?" He bellowed and dark smoke appeared around him. The others, humans and digimon alike, looked confused by his outburst "I will tear you apart MagnaAngemon and take back what you stole from me!"_

"_What's he talking about?" Kari asked "How can MagnaAngemon have stolen something from him?"_

"_Maybe some other MagnaAngemon did?" T.K suggested. He was as confused about this as the rest (including his partner)._

"_I am coming my dear Angewomon!" Lucemon suddenly said, his eyes turning to hearts and his hands sending kisses from his lips"I will save you and we'll live together happily ever after," He said, causing everyone to sweat-drop._


End file.
